AT AIRPORTS

摘要

Airports are spending tens of millions of pounds to accommodate the A380 which, with its 79.75m (261.6ft) wingspan, is classified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as a Code F aircraft. Airports handling the type must have 60m (196.8ft)-wide runways with 7.5m (24.6ft) 'shoulders' on both sides, 25m (82ft)-wide taxiways and a minimum 57.5m (188.6ft) clearance to ground objects. Airports wanting to handle A380s have to modify infrastructure. Runways, taxiways and aprons need to be widened and reinforced, lighting and signage repositioned and new aircraft stands built or upgraded. That's meant considerable investment, even at airports handling relatively few A380s. At Manchester, for example, there's only one arrival per day (an Emirates flight, from Dubai) but an airport spokesman told AIR International £10 million ($157m) was spent making the airfield Code F compatible.