Airbus A380 Lands at Denver Airport for First Time Ever
An Airbus A380 landed at Denver International Airport (DEN) for the first time ever on Sunday.
Though the landing wasn't planned (Air France had to divert the plane to DEN due to a medical emergency on board), it was still a historic moment for the airport. No A380s currently have routes to DEN. But officials took the chance encounter with the jumbo jet to advertise the fact that the airport can handle the mammoth passenger plane, should an airline choose to add Denver on a route operated by an A380.
“The aircraft... landed and departed on DEN’s longest runway, which also happens to be the longest commercial runway in North America,” the airport posted on Facebook. "We have gates to accommodate an aircraft this size, so we’re ready when an airline wants to begin A380 service in DEN.”
No US airlines have the A380 in their fleet, though there are 14 airlines around the world that fly the aircraft, which is also the world's largest passenger plane. Most of the carriers that have the A380 are based in Asia or Europe. Emirates is the king of the A380, with more than 100 of the aircraft currently in its fleet. All Nippon Airways in Japan will become the fifteenth carrier to fly the jumbo jet when it starts operating its recently delivered A380 in early 2019 on its route to Hawaii.
Two airlines that fly A380 — British Airways and Lufthansa — fly into Denver, but neither operate the massive aircraft to DEN.
