The double-deck Airbus A380 superjumbo landed at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in the morning of October 29…
The double-deck Airbus A380 superjumbo landed at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in the morning of October 29. Europe`s Airbus consortium has selected Frankfurt Airport for the first tests of the A380 in regular handling operations at a major air transportation hub.
Dr. Wilhelm Bender, executive board chairman of Fraport AG (the Frankfurt Airport company), expressed his delight at the planned world premiere of the A380 at Germany`s busiest airport. Airbus` reliance on Frankfurt Airport for the A380`s first airport compatibility testing is confirmation of our intensive preparations over many years. We started preparing for this spectacular aircraft type earlier and with stronger commitment than other European airports. We are proud to be able to welcome the A380 at Frankfurt Airport.
The full range of ramp-handling services required for the quick turnaround of a jet aircraft will be tested with this mega airliner. Myriad handling tests have been simulated on the computer; now practical tests will be conducted for the first time in real airport operations. Supply and disposal services, loading and unloading, de-icing, and activities of the airport fire services, etc. will be tested at the parked A380 under operational conditions and documented for training purposes.
Frankfurt Airport has been preparing for this new generation of aircraft since the mid-1990s. No other airport has cooperated so closely with the A380 aircraft engineers to ensure that the superjumbo is as compatible as possible with existing infrastructure around the globe. In the next decade, Frankfurt Airport will be home to the world`s second-largest A380 fleet. Lufthansa, Fraport`s key customer at Frankfurt Airport, has ordered 15 Airbus superjumbos and will start taking delivery in 2007. From the airline`s Frankfurt home base.
The new aircraft will fly to destinations like Bangkok, Delhi, New York, and Singapore. Only Emirates Airlines has placed a larger order (43 aircraft) for the A380.
Already last month, the first A380 parking position at FRA`s Terminal 2 was ready to accommodate the new flagship of intercontinental air transportation. Fraport retrofitted one of the two passenger bridges at this terminal position so that it can reach the upper deck of the gigantic jet.
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