With only two weeks left before the first Emirates A380 lands at Manchester Airport on 1st September, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has officially certified Manchester Airport as 'A380 ready'.

When the CAA Aerodrome Standards Division gave their approval, the airport joined a select group of only 17 global airports to be certified meaning next month, Manchester will become the first regional airport in the World to have a regular service by an A380.

Manchester Airport has invested more than £10 million upgrading the airfield to the standards needed for the Emirates super-jumbo. This includes reconstructing a new aircraft stand with state of the art equipment including an advance docking system, which guides the pilot onto the stand and into the correct position for the unique double airbridge to connect. Construction has taken place over the last 18 months on the airfield at Manchester.

Manchester Airport's Managing Director Andrew Cornish said: "It's a proud day for Manchester and we're naturally pleased that Emirates has chosen Manchester to be the first regional airport in the world to welcome an A380 aircraft. A lot of hard work and planning has gone into the arrival from many people across the business and we're pleased that as an aerodrome we can accept the newest type of aircraft flying today and that Emirates has recognised Manchester as a world class airport."

As well as building a new stand the airport has also updated the pier with a new pre-boarding lounge to accommodate the 517 passengers the new Emirates A380 will have onboard at any one time. Emirates have been flying from Manchester to Dubai for almost 20 years and now have a double daily service to Dubai.

The CAA approval is a result of work dating back nearly ten years with the most detailed and intensive work taking place out on the airfield due to the shear size of the aircraft. Taxiways have had to be widened, realigned and reinforced at junctions and turns as well as perimeter fences and over fifty airfield signs moved further away so the super jumbo can pass safely.

The airport has also invested in two new fire-fighting vehicles. One of the vehicles hosts a turntable system with a 30 metre extending ladder which can be extended over inflated emergency exit chutes, enabling the fire service to gain access to any level of an aircraft including those where conventional ladders might not reach.

With the airport now being classed as 'A380 ready' this makes Manchester a 'Category 10' airport, meaning that the airport can not only accept the A380 but other 'Code F' aircraft such as some of the larger freighter aircraft that are operating around the world.

Emirates, the biggest customer of the Airbus A380, currently flies the aircraft to London Heathrow, Paris, Seoul and Bangkok amongst others.

ENDS

For further information please contact the Manchester Airport Press Office on press.office@manairport.co.uk or 0161 489 2700

Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park is expecting huge numbers of spectators on 1st September, to welcome the arrival of the world's biggest airliner when it touches down for the first time.

The iconic A380 Airbus - a 517-seat, double-decker aircraft, dubbed the "Super-Jumbo" - is due to land at Manchester Airport at 12.25pm, commencing a daily scheduled service for Emirates in what will be a world first for a regional airport.

The Runway Visitor Park will open at 8:00am on the day in order to accommodate the expected crowds. Visitors arriving on foot or on public transport will be able to enter the Park for free, as always. Entry for cars will however be by pre-booked ticket only, at £12.00 per car with up to five occupants. Tickets will be valid until 4:00pm - enabling spectators to watch the A380's departure at around 3:30pm.

Andrew Cornish, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the A380 arrive and I put it on a par with the last flight of Concorde to Manchester. We're looking forward to welcoming thousands of people to the airport to be a part of this historic event, especially in the school holidays and with the Park being voted one of the top tourist attractions for the North West. There will be plenty of opportunities to come see the A380 as from 1st September onward it will be operating a daily service into Manchester, but this is a really significant day for aviation here in the North West and we aim to celebrate it appropriately."

When Concorde made its final flight into Manchester in 2003, before going on permanent display in the Runway Visitor Park, an estimated 10,000 on-lookers greeted her arrival.

In anticipation, parking marshals and an overflow car park will be in operation, whilst the Park's Aviation Shop has also stocked up on extra A380-model aircraft. On the day, additional catering facilities will be provided to support the Ringway Restaurant that is located inside the Concorde Conference Centre. Concorde tours, viewing mounds, the Nimrod and the other historical aircraft will remain on show throughout the day.

The new services on the Emirates A380 will boost capacity by an extra 75 seats a day and introduce the Dubai-based international carrier's award-winning First Class cabin, which includes another world first - onboard showers.

Emirates have been flying from Manchester to Dubai and its network of onward destinations since 1990. A second daily service was added in 2003 and its Manchester lounge - the most luxurious at the airport - was opened on October 2009.

Emirates, the biggest customer of the A380, currently flies the aircraft to London Heathrow, Paris, Sydney, Auckland, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok and Jeddah.

The Runway Visitor Park is located next to Manchester Airport's runways, two minutes from Junction 6 of the M56 motorway, off the A538 on Louis Paulhan Way.

Only pre-booked tickets will see visitors gain entry to the Park and customers can book an entry ticket for 1st September, on the website here - www.manchesterairport.co.uk/RunwayVisitorPark

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For more information please contact the Manchester Airport press office on 0161 489 2700 or press.office@manairport.co.uk

Directions

• The Runway Visitor Park is situated off the A538 between Junction 6 of the M56 motorway and the airport tunnels. From Junction 6 Roundabout follow the signs for Wilmslow.
• After a very short distance you will see Sunbank Lane on the left with sign posts for The Runway Visitor Park and Concorde.
• The Romper Public House provides a very visible landmark.
• Turn left here and then immediately right at the crossroads onto Wilmslow Old Road and follow to the end.
• The address is Runway Visitor Park, Louis Paulhan Way, Sunbank Lane, Altrincham, WA15 8XQ

A new global survey has ranked Manchester Airport as the World's number one airport on Twitter.

Airport social media firm, AirGate Solutions, found that there are currently 143 airports in the world using Twitter as an official passenger service, and that Manchester Airport tops the list as the most active and engaged of them all.

The ranking method is a simple ratio of airport passengers to followers by which the airports are ranked in descending order. The main results are as follows:

(1.) MANCHESTER AIRPORT; (2.) LONDON HEATHROW; (3) BOSTON; (4.) BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON; (5.) LONDON GATWICK; (6.) ORLANDO; (7.) PHOENIX; (8.) LOS ANGELES; (9.) MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL; (10) DALLAS/FORT WORTH.

Robert Cook, Managing Director of AirGate Solutions and influential blogger with New York's Forbes magazine, published the survey. Speaking of the results, he said: "We feel that if an airport has a higher ratio of followers to passengers then it is more engaged with its travelling customers. Manchester came out on top in the 20million passenger category, which demonstrates that the airport is using it to very good effect."

He added: "Since publishing a similar report last March we have received much interest within the industry and there has been a 26% increase in the number of airports adopting Twitter to talk to passengers. More and more organisations are beginning to realise the growing effectiveness of using Twitter and other social media tools to connect with their audiences."

Manchester Airport became the first UK airport to officially launch a Twitter stream, in February 2009. It currently has a following of around 9300. During the recent disruptions with the volcanic ash, the application was a vital tool in communicating with passengers around the world who were looking for information on airport closures.

Russell Craig, Manchester Airport's Head of External Communications said: "It's fantastic to receive this recognition - during our recent experiences with snow and the volcanic ash cloud, Twitter became a vital channel. Updates were posted as they happened, enabling those following the airport to get the latest information at the same time as the news organisations - even Sky News was taking live updates from our Twitter stream to use its website and TV channel."

For more information on AirGate Solutions see: www.airgatesolutions.com and www.twitter.com/airgatesolution and to see Manchester Airport's official Twitter go to: www.twitter.com/manairport

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For more information, contact the Manchester Airport press office on 0161 489 2700 or press.office@manchesterairport.co.uk

Notes to editor

To read Robert Cook's "Wheels Up" blog go to: http://blogs.forbes.com/wheelsup/