Air France will be sending their Airbus A380 aircraft into London Heathrow on a few of the mid-morning runs from Paris CDG between June and August.

Lucky UK spotters will get the chance to see the beast (along with Singapore, Qantas and Emirates examples) on the following days:

Saturday, Sunday and Monday 12 June to 30 August inclusive, plus Friday 2 July to Friday 30 July inclusive.
Flight AFR1980/1981
Arrives Heathrow 1025, and departs 1250

The next new airline to operate the Airbus A380 after Singapore, Emirates and Qantas is Air France, who will start flights on 23 November with their first aircraft, F-HPJA. Another two will follow by Spring 2010.

The airline has announced the routes the aircraft will operate as:
Dubai (1 February 2010)
Johannesburg (early 2010)
New York JFK (23 November 2009)
Tokyo Narita (spring 2010)

All will operate from Paris CDG airport. Interestingly, the route to Dubai will start 15 days before Emirates start using A380s on their Dubai – Paris route.

The aircraft will visit Paris Orly on 11 November to test the airport as a diversion field from CDG.

Birmingham Airport will host a day of celebrations on Wednesday 9 September, 2009. The airport is celebrating its 70th year since opening. It is also opening its new International Pier for business on the same day.

The first official aircraft to use the new pier will be an Emirates Airbus A380 operating the regular scheduled service from and to Dubai, in place of the usual Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

To coincide with the historic day, a number of other aircraft are due to visit, including:

* Classic Flight Dragon Rapide G-AGTM from Coventry – a Rapide having operated the first service from Birmingham back in 1939!
* KLM 73H PH-BXA which is in their 90th anniversay scheme is planned to operate the mid morning Amsterdam service
* Lufthansa 321 D-AIRX which is in the retro scheme is planned to operate the evening Frankfurt service
* on the lighter side 20 “classic” light aircraft are expectedto be present during the day on the Elmdon apron.

Thanks to Gordon Stretch at www.bhxflightguide.net for the info.

Airbus have just announced that company Airbus A380 F-WWOW will be making an “approach and go around flythrough” at Birmingham Airport on Saturday 5 September 2009 as part of a UK tour on that day.

The Birmingham flypast is scheduled for 1540. The aircraft will also be visiting Edinburgh, Prestwick, Port Rush for the Northern
Ireland International Air Show, Belfast City and Broughton on that day before returning to Toulouse via Birmingham – times
at - http://bhxflightguide.blogspot.com

This visit is in addition to the planned visit by an Emirates A380 to Birmingham on Wednesday 9 September 2009 – again more information on that visit can be found at the link above.

Much talk is currently spreading about Emirates sending an Airbus A380 to Birmingham on 9th September as a one-off to celebrate the airport’s 75th anniversary and the opening of the new revised International Pier.

Whilst this information comes on good authority, and it seems there is a good chance it’ll happen, people are also saying they’re poised to switch it back to the usual Boeing 777-300 at last minute. There’s also the fact that the new international pier is well behind schedule and not likely to open until December.

Any updates would be appreciated if you are ‘in the know’

Qantas will begin flying their Airbus A380 into London Heathrow five days per week from 8 June 2009. This is an increase on the present schedule.

The days of operation are: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

The aircraft arrives from Sydney – Singapore on QF30/31