RGIA welcomes world's largest plane to AP Capital

Hyderabad, Oct 17 (UNI) Amid water cannon salute, Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world, today touched down at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad.

It is the first landing of the super jumbo at India's first Code F compliant airport.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Code F specifies the requirements of an airport in terms of facilities like runways, taxiways, aprons, boarding bridges and stands, rescue and fire-fighting service for landing and take-off of the largest passenger airliners like A380.

The A380, which took off from Begumpet Airport at 0600 hrs in the morning, landed at Shamshabad at 0630 hrs.

The plane performed a low fly-pass before touching the ground.

The mammoth aircraft got a water cannon salute from the fire-fighters at the rapid exit way. It docked successfully at Bay No 55 and took off later.

''It is a momentous day for us. Ours is the first airport in the country that is Code F compliant, where a fully loaded A380 can land.

This is the first time that A380 landed at RGIA. We are thankful to Airbus for making it happen,'' GHIAL CEO P S Nair said in a statement here.

The A380 has already visited more than 70 airports around the world today we are very happy to bring the super jumbo to the new and modern RGIA here, he said.

''This is the second time we are bringing the flagship of the 21st century to India. In 2007, we had already brought the test aircraft to Delhi and Mumbai and showcased the easy integration of the aircraft into the existing airport facilities. Today we have the most modern airliner land in the most modern airport,'' Airbus Executive Vice President Kiran Rao said.

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