Kuala Lumpur Welcomes the A380
Posted by azuan on Jan 1, 2012 in :: All Posts ::, AVIATION, Blog Posts, Featured Articles | 21 comments
The biggest passenger jet in the world, the Airbus A380 has landed in Kuala Lumpur!
An Emirates Airbus A380 took off on January 1st 2012 from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur, marking the first passenger-carrying/revenue superjumbo flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
The Emirates A380 fleet now flies to more than 15 destinations around the world, with the latest addition being KLIA.
Starting from today, the Emirates A380 will be a regular visitor with one of the thrice daily flights between Dubai-Kuala Lumpur-Dubai will be served by this superjumbo.
I was co-incidentally at the airport working on a few work-related tasks when I was told that the first revenue landing of an A380 in KLIA is happening today. With a camera in hand (although I was not equipped with the right lens), I dashed to a nearby location within the terminal to witness the arrival.
Here are some of the photos:
The airport has been ready for the A380 for quite a while with a few of the gates having dual-level A380-ready aerobridges.
AFRS Fire vehicles ready for the water-cannon salute.
It was around 2:56pm when I saw the first glimpse of the A380 on final approach.
ATC cleared the plane for 32R landing although 32L was in used for landing. From what I read on Facebook and Twitter, some of the spotters waiting to see the plane got disappointed when they realised the aircraft was heading for 32R.
Seconds from touch down.
With Sepang Formula 1 Circuit in background.
My ‘best-effort’ shot.
I did not get a clear shot of the actual touchdown due to the aerobridge blocking the view.
The aircraft cleared the runway and taxied to Gate C27.
The first officer was spotted waving the Emirati flag!
The A380 showed her ability to perform tight turns as she comfortably made her way to Gate C27.
Water Cannon Salute!
At this point I noticed that the Captain was also waving a flag and it’s Jalur Gemilang, the Malaysian flag! Well done Emirates, who knows it might be a Malaysian crew flying the plane? 
Ground crew got into action to disembark the passengers, 3 aerobridges at this A380-ready gate.
All set!
One nose shot.
Welcome A380-800 to KLIA!
While witnessing the arrival of this first commercial A380 flight to Kuala Lumpur, I cannot help but to recall the moment from few years back when I actually stood at the airport fences for many hours just to catch a glimpse of the A380 on its world tour stop in Kuala Lumpur.
I personally hope to see more A380 movements in Kuala Lumpur moving forward. I am sure that many would agree with me that today’s arrival is a good start for 2012 for both Emirates and KLIA!
Tweet ShareLove this aviation post? why don’t check out my recent flight from Malacca to Subang where I had the plane all to myself! Click here to read.
Note: All Photos Copyright Azuan Ahmad Zahdi – No photos may be reproduced in any form without prior permission from me. I can be contacted at azuan_az ‘at’ hotmail ‘dot’ com
21 Comments
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Impressive shots!! I’ve always been excited about Emirates A380 flying to KLIA and now can’t wait to see our own carrier at KLIA!
I believe the captain is a Malaysian, as known there is one Malaysian captain flying the a380 in emirates and there was an article about him sometime ago in the star newspaper.
cockpit x basah?? waving flag while water cannon salute?? hehe..
Hi! Azuan, great shoot. Wish I was there on the tarmac with you too. I am also a plane enthusiastic just like you and do hope that I can be updated by your blog.
Regards,
See
Hi Kimwah, Thanks for your kind comments. Do keep in touch.
Qayyum, tak basah kot! haha good point though
Afif, thanks. yup the Capt a Malaysian.
wahh..lucky you. I’ve always been mesmerised by the A380 ever since I saw it doing tricks at Farnborough. Can’t wait to fly one of these, especially when MAS will start flying one. Great photos!
salam..wahh..sy dgn kawan pun ada menunggu dr jam 1tghari lagi..kitaorg tunggu dekat anjung tinjau yer..btw, nasib baik ada pakcik tu yg bgtahu ada officer dkt counter information tu bgtahu plane tersebut akan landing dekat runway #1…hehehe..
Capt was Kwong Ling from Sibu, Malaysia and the First Officer was AbdulAziz from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Amer: thanks for your kinds words. yup A380 is amazing!
Alif: share la gambar dari anjung tinjau!
Rowena: Thanks. Must be proud moments for him to fly the first A380 to land at KLIA!
hari ini baru teringat nak lihat gambar A380 first landing di KLIA sejak di war warkan di newspaper minggu lepas. terima kasih atas ganbar gambar yang teramat menarik untuk tatapan umum.
Wan, this is great! This will be a usual operation forA380 Service DXB-KUL yeah?
lawa gambar wan…bila pulan nak tengak MAS punya
Nexo: yup, one a day will use a380
Nix: terima kasih bro. MAS mungkin mid 2012.
Satu laporan yang lengkap dan penuh berinfomasi, terima kasih Azuan!
Love the photos Azuan. Tak kisah lah not the right lens but still nampak dengan jelas.. Love that you even captured the Jalur Gemilang dengan clear..
Gorgeous aircraft
Bella, thanks for the kind comments
Great photos! Never knew there’s this water welcome! Traditional?
Malee: It’s a common way of celebrating something at airside. Happens in other airports as well
A very good one…keep it up…!! Visit us at dcasandakan.blogspot.com/
TQ DCAsandakan.
Great blog u have there.
how did you get the pass to satellite building azuan ? is it only for international departure ?