The world’s largest passenger aircraft A-380 operated by Emirates airlines landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning for the third time.

The airbus touched down at the Airport at 3.10 am today for refuelling en route to Dubai from Auckland in New Zealand.

The last time the BIA had witnessed such aircraft in 2019, before the Corona outbreak.

There were 413 passengers and 29 crew members in the airliner, but none of them allowed to disembark, though the giant airplane was on the tarmac for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes for refuelling purpose.

Presently the Dubai city is experiencing a foggy weather conditions ahead of the onset of a long summer in the gulf region, and as a result, poor visibility conditions prevail in the vicinity of the airport.

Hence the pilots had decided to get the adequate fuel needed for this plane to travel several hours, if they find it difficult to land at the Dubai airport at once.

Accordingly, the Katunayake Airport Petroleum Corporation had taken steps to provide 62,800 liters of Jet A-1 type fuel worth Rs. 16.8 million to this aircraft.

After the refuelling, the gleaming giant airbus took off the BIA to Dubai at 4.50 am this morning. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  and T.K.G Kapila)