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Manchester Airport Spent $15 Million to Get Ready for the Airbus A380

August 26, 2010 at 9:11 AM | by | Comments (0)

Not too much new in the world of the Boeing 787 this week, so we though we’d take a look at what’s going on with one of our other favorites planes—the Airbus A380. We mentioned last week that the big bird is heading to Manchester, England next month, but we didn’t realize how much work was necessary to get the airport ready for its arrival.

Starting September 1, Emirates will start bringing the A380 to the airport on a regular basis, and it’s the first time a super jumbo has ventured outside the usual landing spots of major world cities. Since the plane is so heavy and huge, Manchester Airport had to throw down roughly $15 million to get the airport A380-ready.

Everything is now in place, but work on the airport began 18 months prior to the announcement that the plane would even be visiting the airport. Workers at the Manchester Airport had to build a brand new spot to park the plane, including an advanced docking system that helps the pilot line up the plane to take advantage of the double-decker jet bridge.

Everyplace that the A380 will touch has been upgraded, from widening taxiways to strengthening the ground underneath its landing gear. They even had to move around 50 signs and perimeter fences away from the runway to ensure there’s plenty of room for this big boy.

We hope they never have to use it, but the airport has invested in new fire and safety equipment to ensure they can get to the passengers on the tippy-top of the new plane. Now the airport can proudly claim that it’s a Category 10 airport, and is only one of 17 like this in the world. They have just two weeks left until the new plane lands, so airport officials can go grab a pint as they await the plane’s arrival and to celebrate a job well done.

Related Stories:
· Manchester Airport Is 'Ready' for A380 Super Jumbo [Bloomberg]
· How to Evacuate an Airbus A380 [Jaunted]
· Airport News coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: BriYYZ]

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