MANILA, Philippines -- Can the Ninoy Aquino International Airport accommodate and adequately service a passenger aircraft which is as tall as an eight-story building and has a wingspan almost as wide as a football field?
This will be known on Thursday when the Airbus-380, the world’s largest passenger jet, arrives at the NAIA as part of its three-country Asia-Pacific leg of its “route proving flight.”
The double-decker Airbus A-380 MSN 009 test aircraft is expected to land at the NAIA at around 2:45 p.m. Thursday.
The A-380 test flight will leave the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France for a journey to Dubai, UAE; Melbourne, Australia; and Manila. From NAIA, the aircraft will proceed to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) on Friday.
The Asia-Pacific tour is aimed at showing the four-engine plane’s ability to complete long-haul flights and keep up with the demands of actual commercial operation. The test flight series also seek to check whether airports in future destinations can accommodate the two-deck 525-seater plane, now tagged the “21st century flagship.”
While at the airports in Dubai, Melbourne, NAIA and DMIA, the A-380 will test airfield maneuvering, docking, ground handling services and fueling to determine its compatibility with various airports in the world.
To accommodate the A-380, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has prepared a special landing arrangement, restricting use of the airport’s main runway and parallel taxiway the minute the superjumbo jet lands.
MIAA said the measure would be done to accommodate the hefty jet, which boasts of a wingspan of 79.8 meters, a length that requires a wider turning radius.
Current long-haul commercial airliners such as the Airbus A-340 and the Boeing 747 both have wingspans of around 64 meters, almost 15 meters shorter than that of the A-380.
“There was some procedure that we laid out because we have to accommodate the wingspan of the A-380. There will not be a problem though. We can handle this aircraft,” said MIAA operations chief Octavio Lina.
NAIA’s runway 06-24, which is used for landings and takeoffs of international flights, is more than enough to accommodate the A-380 which requires a runway at least 1,500 meters long. NAIA’s international runway measures around 3,700 meters.
“We can accommodate this plane. Larger aircraft have already landed here before,” said Lina.
The US Air Force’s Lockheed C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft touched down in Manila during President George W. Bush’s visit in Manila four years ago. Russia’s Antonov AN-225 had landed several times at the NAIA.
Officials of the Department of Transportation and Communication, the Air Transportation Office, MIAA and the Philippine Air Force will be given a tour of the plane during Thursday’s ceremony.
The aircraft will stay overnight at the NAIA before taking off for Clark in Pampanga where it will be serviced for four hours.
“This (test flight) is important to CIAC (Clark International Airport Corp.) and DMIA because it will position the Clark airport to be a viable alternative airport and eventually the future premier gateway of the Philippines,” CIAC president and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano said.
The DMIA, with its two 3.2-kilometer parallel runways, had accommodated several large aircraft in the world such as the US’ C-17 “Starlifter” and the Russian-made Antonov “Condor” 124.
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