A380 debut in skies over northwest England

The Airbus A380 super-jumbo made its first appearances in northwest England this past weekend.

The giant passenger jet did a fly-past at both the Manchester and Liverpool airports, after which is moved onward to thrill spectators at the Wirral air show.

Air show organizers estimated the crowd in Liverpool at 200,000, many who came to have a look at the spectacular new A380, as much as to enjoy the complex manoeuvres of the aircraft that constituted the main programme.

A former RAF pilot and current Virgin Atlantic captain, Peter Chandler, flew the super-jumbo during its day of appearances.

A few days prior to the Wirral show, Mr Chandler said: “It is a great privilege to be able to bring the A380 to the north-west and to show it off for the first time at the region’s international airports.”

He added: “We are especially keeping our fingers crossed for good weather over the Wirral in order to fully demonstrate how versatile, quiet and manoeuvrable this wonderful aircraft is.”

The day’s events were a sort of homecoming for the A380, as 7000 of the workers responsible for the plane are based in north-western England, and the wings of the plane are manufactured outside of Chester, at the Airbus UK plant.

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