Shannon visit for world’s largest passenger aircraft

THE A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world, brought Shannon to a standstill on Tuesday morning.

The plane is of a barely believable size; its wingspan was actually broader than the runway it stopped on. British Airways carry up to 469 passengers on the plane and, similar to a double-decker bus, passengers sit on two different tiers.

The visit was to test Shannon’s ability to handle the super-sized aircraft in the event of a diversion, while increasing the pilots’ training hours.

Numerous plane watchers assembled at the airport’s boundary fence to see the aircraft.

The A380 was on the ground for three hours and for a time the aircraft – the largest in British Airways’ fleet – could be seen alongside the smallest, an A318. The A318 operates a twice-daily service from London City to New York’s JFK Airport, stopping briefly in Shannon for refuelling and to allow US immigration pre-clearance.

Captain Mike Blythe told The Clare Champion the A380 burns around 10 tonnes of fuel an hour and, in the few minutes it spent taxiing on the runway after landing, he estimated one tonne of fuel had been used.

Despite the size of the aircraft, he said flying it isn’t very different to a normal aircraft.

“The biggest challenge is probably operationally on the ground with the size of it. That’s part of the reason why we’re here. This is potentially going to be a diversion airfield for us when we’re operating into London and we need to evaluate how easy it is to manoeuvre the aircraft around and park it safely. That is one challenge.

“The other challenge is that you have so many people on board and that multiplies your probability of having issues on board, people taking ill and that sort of thing. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic aeroplane to operate and I’m very privileged to do it.”

Minding the width of the plane was the most serious obstacle in Shannon, he added.

“The outboard engines and the wing tips extend way beyond the edge of the runway and taxiway. That’s what we have to be really careful about.”

Shannon Airport CEO Neil Pakey said, “Shannon has had many proud firsts over the years and being the first Irish airport to handle the world’s largest passenger aircraft is among them. It is further confirmation of Shannon’s place in the aviation industry. Having British Airway’s A380 at the airport parked beside its smallest aircraft, the A318, is a rare moment for any airport and a great opportunity for aviation enthusiasts across the country, who are here in big numbers.”