Hundreds of onlookers and traffic jams welcomed the first landing of an Airbus A380 in Portugal



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An Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft, landed for the first time in Portugal, at the Beja airport, currently the only Portuguese able to receive it, attracting hundreds of curious people to see the "giant of heaven". "It is the Airbus A380 that the European airline Hi Fly, based in Lisbon and dedicated to the charter of aircraft with crew, maintenance and insurance, bought this month, thus becoming the first company of his economic model, the fourth

The plane, coming from England, where he participated in this year 's edition of one of the biggest International aviation events, the Farnborough Air Festival, which took place last week, it landed at 16:57 at Beja Airport, which attracted hundreds of inquisitors and provoked congestion in infrastructure access

This is a "historic moment for civil aviation" in Portugal.It is "the first time" that landed on the ground National Airbus A380, "a giant of heaven and the world's largest commercial aircraft," said Hi Fly's president, Paulo Mirpuri, to Lusa. Hi Fly is "very happy" to have been Beja to receive the first flight of the A380 to Portugal, "which demonstrates the ability" and "shows the potential" of the airport "as a "driving force" of the region, he stressed. S addressing reporters, Hi Fly's administrator, Sérgio Bagorro, said that the A380 has landed at Beja airport because it is currently the only one in Portugal able to receive it and that it has a base for parking and maintaining their planes. According to Sérgio Bagorro, the Airbus A380 can land in three Portuguese airports, namely those in Beja, Alentejo and Lajes, in the Azores, which result from civilian use and the use of bases' tracks. military, and Lisbon.

currently "only Beja" is "prepared" to receive the Airbus A380 and it is still necessary to "finalize certain procedures" so that the plane can land on the other two airports. "Lisbon is an extremely crowded airport and Beja is the best option" and it is there that Hi Fly is "the most comfortable" to park the A380 in order to take the necessary steps before the aircraft goes into commercial operation, says Sérgio Bagorro [19659002] The information given to Lusa by Hi Fly indicates that the A380, which is expected to begin operations this month, will be at the l 39; Beja airport "a few days" for the "familiarization" of crews with the base and the formation of operational teams

Hélder Coelho, 42, from Moura, was among the hundreds of curious present at the airport for attend the landing of the "giant of heaven". Beja "express" with the woman and the son to see the A380 "as close as possible". It's "a unique moment that I did not want to lose for nothing because it was the first time that an A380 was landing in Portugal and soon at the airport in my area", has he told Lusa Helder Coelho

. "spotter" Luís Salgueiro, who went "express" from Lisbon to photograph the landing and had privileged access to the interior of the airport, said that he photographed several flights of 39; an A380, but today was "a unique moment" because it was the first carried out in Portugal and by a company based in the country.

Addressing reporters, spokesman of the Beja Merece + citizen movement, Florival Baiôa, who was also present, said that the landing of the A380 was "extremely important" because "It demonstrates some potentialities of Beja airport."

It could have been a "mundane" landing, not the first in the country and carried out on the runway serving the Beja Airport, that "may receive avi" is currently the only one in Portugal able to receive it and, therefore, it was "a very important day" for the airport infrastructure of Alentejo, Florival Baiôa said

For Hi Fly "The Airbus A380 is a significantly bigger plane than any other and lacks specific equipment to be able to be assisted." In order to operate the Airbus A380 at an airport, it is necessary to check a number of technical conditions, such as the length and width of the runway, and to have a "sufficient" parking space And means of assistance. . According to Hi Fly, the company and Airbus have performed a "comprehensive" technical and performance analysis of the capacity of the Beja Airport to receive the A380, but "there was no need to do changes or work ".

It was necessary to "readjust some of the operational procedures to enable the operation" of the aircraft in the infrastructure, explained the company. According to Hi Fly, the A380, which will be touring the world and will be equipped with advanced technologies and finishes, as well as Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines, will accommodate 471 passengers in three classes (first economic and executive), but in a performance The A380 "meets Hi Fly's commitment to sustainable development" because it produces "only 75 grams" of carbon dioxide per passenger per kilometer and "reduced" said the company.

The purchase of the A380, which is 11 years old and which is the sixth model built by Airbus, is a "safe bet" of Hi Fly because it "can carry more passengers with less carbon dioxide emissions and more efficiently in terms of costs and fuel," said Sérgio Bagorro. [ad_2]
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