If you spot an unusually huge plane in the sky, it may be the behemoth Airbus A380. The new, double-deck plane, which is 239 feet long and 261 feet wide (yes, it's the wingspan of a football field; it's way bigger than a 747), is scheduled to fly over New York this morning around 10AM or so. If you spot it or happen to know where the best place to glimpse it, let us know in the comments!
And after the plane arrived in the U.S. for the first time at JFK International Airport on Monday, the NY Times spoke to James Fazio, the chief operating officer of JFK International. Airbus had shared its A380 plans with them a decade ago, in order to get airports to extend their runways to make sure the plane would be able to maneuver, with improvements are expected to total around $200 million. And A380-flying airlines (all foreign) are planning things like two-level passenger walkways onto the plane. If configured with just coach seats, the plane can hold 800 passengers, and the Port Authority likes having less planes with more people, given the limited amount of runway and gate space.
And we loved what Fazio said about the plane's size: “Wait until it flies over Manhattan. It will block out the sun.”
Photograph of the Airbus A380 at JFK Airport on Monday by Mark Lennihan/AP
