Arrival of Emirates A380. Screengrab from RTVM Youtube account
MANILA, Philippines—The world’s largest passenger jet piloted by a Filipino captain landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 3 (Naia) on Tuesday night.
The Airbus A380 of the Emirates airline from Dubai was piloted by Franklin Desiderio.
President Benigno Aquino III welcomed the arrival of the jumbo jet with a water cannon salute.
The Airbus A380 has a capacity of 500 passengers.
With two full-length decks measuring a total of 6,000 square feet, the A380 is 50 percent bigger than the Boeing 747 and is widely considered as the solution to the common problems of rising number of plane passengers and congested tarmacs.
Aquino also inspected the terminal’s facilities including check-in counters, x-ray machines, security areas, terminal fee windows, and pre-departure areas after a US website tagged Naia anew as one of the worst airports in the world.
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