MAS A380 inaugural flight lands in Heathrow

The MAS A380 on the tarmac of KLIA before taking off for London on July 1, 2012. — Picture by Choo Choy May

LONDON, July 2 — Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) newly-acquired A380, the biggest commercial plane, which left Kuala Lumpur last night for its inaugural flight to London, touched down at Heathrow Airport at 5.20am British time after a little over 12 hours of a smooth and quiet journey.

The huge double-decked passenger airliner took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport near midnight after Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was around to send the plane off, took over the cabin’s public address system to wish the 478 passengers “bon voyage and have a good journey”.

The A380 was piloted rotationally by Captains Datuk Ahmad Zuraidi Dahalan, Norshid Ali, Kamarudin Kamilin and assisted by First Officer Mohd Zefrie Mohd Jasbir Khan, who together have over 100 years of flying experience.

When the pilots landed the plane here without any glitch and not even the sound of a thud was heard, the passengers gave them a strong approval with a thunderous claps that filled the cabins of the wide-bodied plane.

Also on board the historic trip was MAS group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, who upon the plane’s touchdown went on the cabin’s PA system to thank the passenger guests for taking the A380.

He said it was a coincidence the A380’s inaugural flight fell on the same date when MAS started the KL-London service 36 years ago on July 1, 1974.

The A380 plane will be used thrice weekly for the KL-London sector until MAS gets several more of the planes by year-end when it can serve the sector daily.

MAS has ordered six of the aircraft that it plans also to service Australia and China.

The same plane that arrived here today will depart later in the day, also inaugurating the return flight from London to Kuala Lumpur with a near capacity load.

Apart from the pilots, the A380 has a cabin crew strength of 21. — Bernama