British Airline Pilots’ Association
Thursday 18 May For immediate release
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BRITAIN’S PILOTS PRAISE HEATHROW FOR ADAPTING TO GIANT A380 WHICH FLIES IN TODAY
Britain’s pilots today praised BAA for adapting Heathrow Airport at great expense and at a very busy time to accommodate the new giant A380 Airbus which makes its UK debut at the airport this afternoon, Thursday 18 May. The new prototype aircraft, which has 60 per cent British components with Derby built engines and Airbus UK supplied wings, is due to land at 1.30pm.
‘Heathrow has met the new standards required to enable the operation of this aircraft,’ said Captain Martin Alder, chairman of the flight safety group of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA). ‘Heathrow has shown other airports around the world how it could and should be done.’
Among the changes that have been made: runway exits have been changed and airbridges are in place to reach all forward doors, both lower and upper decks.
‘BALPA had a huge input into the international regulators to ensure the appropriate standards for airfield design and operation for the A380,’ said Captain Alder. ‘There have been attempts in some parts of the world to water down these standards for short term economic gain, but our view is that this will compromise safety and the economics of operations.’
He said the Airbus A380 was a triumph for European collaboration.
‘We have one concern, and that is about the strength of the new European safety organisation EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). It will have a prime role in ensuring that airports are adapted for the A380 yet skilled and experienced safety experts are thin on the ground and EASA lacks the funding it needs to do the job.’