World's largest passenger aircraft touches down in Glasgow
The aircraft is back in Scotland for the first time since 2019
Last updated 26th Mar 2023
The world’s biggest passenger aircraft has touched down in Scotland for the first time since 2019.
The Airbus A380 was greeted with bagpipes and crowds of plane enthusiasts as it landed at Glasgow Airport this afternoon after a nearly four-year absence.
The double decker four-engine jet can carry up to 517 passengers at any one time, and is also used to transport exports like whiskey and seafood abroad.
Operations director for Glasgow Airport, Ronald Leitch is delighted to have the plane back in the city, saying: “It’s fantastic having this iconic aircraft back into Glasgow, particularly after the last three years, it’s an absolutely fantastic day.”
The flights will be a daily occurrence from the airport now as Middle Eastern carrier Emirates says they have had support from customers for the route between Glasgow and Dubai to operate.
Many A380s were grounded at the height of the pandemic, but as more and more people look to travel abroad again, 80 of Emirates’ 116 strong fleet have already taken to the air again.
The airline’s UK divisional vice president, Richard Jewsbury said: “we’ve seen sustained demand from the Scottish market.
“Dubai is the number one destination but we're seeing really good flows down to Australia, Thailand, the Indian subcontinent - which is very popular particularly for VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic - and the Indian Ocean.”
Glasgow is not the only airport to resume A380 flights, with jets already flying out of Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, with Birmingham set to start up again in July.
Aviation consultant John Strickland, of JLS Consulting, said the airline is “very happy to have that capacity back.”