The world's largest passenger aircraft will touch down in Scotland for the first time later. An Airbus A380 "super jumbo" operated by Emirates is scheduled to land at Glasgow Airport at 12:35. The pilot in charge of the flight will be Iain Weir, who grew up in nearby Clydebank and is now based in Dubai. Large crowds are expected to turn out to watch the giant aircraft arrive and then depart three hours later.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: "There has been a huge amount of interest in the arrival of Emirates' A380 and understandably so.
"To be the first Scottish airport to welcome what is the world's largest commercial aircraft is a hugely significant milestone in the history of Glasgow Airport and in Scottish aviation.
"It's difficult to say how many people will turn up to catch a glimpse of the aircraft but given it is the school holidays, we are preparing for thousands of spectators."
The event will mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of scheduled services between Dubai and Glasgow. The aircraft stands more than 24m (79ft) tall and has a wing span of almost 80m (262ft). It can carry more than 500 passengers. Since Emirates began flying from Glasgow in April 2004, it has carried more than 2.4 million passengers between Scotland and the airline's global hub. It usually flies Boeing 777 aircraft on the route, which operates twice daily.
Scotland's two busiest airports, Glasgow and Edinburgh, are locked in a battle to win new long-haul routes. Qatar Airways will begin flying between the Scottish capital and Doha on 28 May. The carrier will offer passengers the opportunity to travel on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which can carry about 250 passengers. Aviation experts say the Dreamliner's range and fuel efficiency may encourage other airlines to launch long-haul services from Scotland. The Scottish government has described securing further improvements to the country's air links as "crucial".
Public transport
Transport Minister Keith Brown told BBC Scotland: "The ongoing success of the Glasgow to Dubai service demonstrates that Scotland is a market that can sustain long haul services.
"The Scottish government played a key role in securing three new services from Edinburgh to Chicago, Philadelphia and Doha, which are set to launch next month.
"The expansion of the Glasgow to Philadelphia service and the introduction of the Glasgow to Halifax, Canada, service are also welcome.
"We continue to work with the industry to secure more routes like these."
Members of the public hoping to see the A380 fly into Glasgow are being urged not to drive to the airport if possible. A spokesman said: "We would encourage people to use public transport, however, there will be limited event parking within our long-stay car park. He added: "A shuttle bus service will operate from the long-stay car park to the west side of the airfield and also to stance number three outside the main terminal building.
"We would remind people this will be a limited service and may be busy given the potential number of visitors."
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