The world's biggest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380, made its first landing at an international commercial and passenger airport Saturday when it jetted into Frankfurt airport, dpa reported. About 10,000 people turned out to watch the double-decker superjumbo glide through the morning fog to land at about 07.00 GMT on a test-run to see how airport runways and facilities can handle the giant airliner. The tests include passengers disembarking and boarding the aircraft, which has seats for up to 853 passengers. "It was an extraordinary sight to see the landing," said Wilhelm Bender, chief of Fraport AG, the Frankfurt airport operator. "The A380 is a stroke of luck for the Frankfurt airport," Bender said. The new aircraft would help to overcome the airport's capacity problems, he added. The A380 is to return to its home base in the French city of Toulouse Sunday after about eight hours of tests in Frankfurt. Flights by the giant aircraft would help to secure jobs in the region, said Hesse Premier Roland Koch, whose state includes Frankfurt airport. However, Airbus said Saturday that engine problems meant that it had been forced to use a different test aircraft for the Frankfurt flight than originally planned. Signs of engine overheating had occurred in the original test aircraft, which an Airbus spokeswoman said can happen after 410 flying hours and 210 test flights. "This did not put into question the planned test runs," she said, adding that the two aircraft were essentially identical. --more 1502 Local Time 1202 GMT
