A380 to Fly into KLIA Mid-Nov

THE superjumbo A380 will fly into the KL International Airport in Sepang

sometime in the first half of next month, as part of its airport

compatibility verification tests.

Besides Kuala Lumpur, the world’s largest and newest airliner will tour

Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

This marks the first time that the A380 will be seen outside of Europe.

It will begin the tests in Frankfurt, Germany, at the end of the month.

After the tour, the plane will be on display at the Dubai airshow in the

second half of November.

European airframe maker Airbus said the tour will enable its customers

a chance to see the aircraft first hand, and airports an early

opportunity to check their preparedness to handle it in commercial

service.

Airbus’ A380 family (A380 and A380F) has already won a strong following

among many of the world’s most prestigious airlines, with 16 customers

having placed orders for 159 aircraft so far. These include Singapore

Airlines, which will be the first to take delivery of an A380, at the end

of 2006, followed by Qantas Airways and Emirates in the second quarter of

2007. Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd bought six of the aircraft for Malaysia

Airlines.

The tests will include taxiing around the airport, docking at a

terminal, and checking passenger boarding bridge positioning.