"Superjumbo" goes regional

(Emirates)

Manchester Airport will become the world's first regional airport to host the "superjumbo" Airbus A380 aircraft.

The announcement, made by Emirates airline on March 30, could mean that consumers will soon see the massive planes serving smaller locations.

Manchester Airport is the smallest of the UK's major airports, handling around a quarter of the people that pass through London's busy Heathrow airport. Emirates will fly the A380 between Dubai and Manchester daily from September 1.

When the A380 first launched, the US Government Accountability Office raised concerns over airports' ability to handle the massive jet, which seats over 500 people on two levels. It believed that the girth of the plane could delay other aircraft both on the ground and in the sky, and until now, airlines have restricted the aircraft's operations to major capital cities only.

With Manchester Airport stating that it required £10 million (€11.2 million) of modification to handle the jet, other regional airports may now be weighing the benefits of catering the A380. With over 200 of the aircraft on order to airlines around the world, it seems that the destination list for the "superjumbo" could be about to get longer.

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