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The impossibly large flying machine has been around for nearly a decade. The first Airbus A380 went into service in 2007 with Singapore Airlines. Yet, for most around the world, to spot one is a rarity and to see one in action is a spectacle.
The only place you can see an Airbus A380 in Canada is at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Emirates flies in three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and it’s always around 3:30 to 4:00 in the afternoon.
There are currently 48 airports worldwide that receive A380s on a regular basis. Toronto is the only Canadian airport and there are just eight in the United States: Atlanta, Georgia (ATL), Dallas, Texas (DFW), Houston, Texas (IAH), Los Angeles, California (LAX), Miami, Florida (MIA), New York City (JFK), San Francisco, California (SFO) and Washington, DC (IAD).
Emirates Airbus A380-800 A6-EEV
The airliner pictured here landed in Toronto on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 4:09PM. It was scheduled for 3:21. With winds out of the west, the Airbus A380 came in on runway 05-23 from the east. This is the longest runway at YYZ at 3,389 metres or 11,120 feet. For those wishing to get the same view, park behind the Wendy’s on Airport Road, right at the end of the runway. If the winds are coming out of the east, there is a side street where you can park off Dixie Road, just south of Derry Road, called Director Gate. It puts you nearly directly beneath the flight path.
Emirates flight 241 (UAE241) had a flight duration of 13 hours and 17 minutes between Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Toronto. The route took the plane over top Iran, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Greenland before traveling across northern Quebec and Ontario.
For the full flight map and detailed info on this specific plane, take a look at the last image in this article, a screenshot borrowed from FlightAware.com.
If you want to catch a ride on this flight, start saving your pennies. Typically, a return flight in economy is $8,941 in Canadian dollars, including taxes. However, if you’re flexible and do some digging, there are flights as low as $1,922 for a return trip. The Emirates official website is great to work with and will give a calendar of rates if you are flexible with your time. First Class is always $13,900 return.
This specific plane is registered as A6-EEV and is a A380-800. It was delivered to Emirates Airlines on April 14, 2014.
How do you know when this thing is going to land? FlightAware is a great resource. Be sure to sign up for a free membership to get full access. There is so much you can do at this site but to simply track this or any specific flight, input the flight number (UAE241 in this case) and request email flight notifications. You will be given every detail from the airline submitting a flight plan, to the take-off time, to any delays or changes to the ETA.
If you’re looking to find information specific to the Airbus A380 including what airlines fly them and what airports they fly into, check out A380 Flights. This site is not flashy but extremely detailed in their information about this plane.
If you are in Toronto, plan to arrive an hour or so before the ETA if you’re visiting on a Monday. If you’re a lover of large aircraft, you will not be disappointed. In approximately an hour total time surrounding the Emirates airliner’s arrival, these planes also came into Toronto Pearson:
- Air Canada Boeing 777-300er
- British Airways Boeing 747-400
- Air Canada Boeing 767
- Air Canada Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Air France Boeing 777-200er
As mentioned, the first Airbus A380 went into service for Singapore Airlines in 2007. As of April 1, 2016, there are now 184 A380s in service worldwide.
There are 13 airlines with these airliners in their fleets:
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Qantas
- Air France
- Lufthansa
- Korean Air
- China Southern Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Thai Airways
- British Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- Etihad Airways
Just how big is it? The Airbus A380 is 73 metres or 239 feet in length. It has a wingspan of 80 metres or 262 feet. At the tail, the height is 24 metres or 79 feet. The length is just seven feet more than the 747-400 that landed before it on our visit. However, the wingspan is 50 feet more.
It wasn’t the longest plane we saw that day. The Boeing 777-300er is actually around three feet longer at 242 feet in length.
As mentioned above, the image below is a screenshot from FlightAware. Click on the image for a larger version.
