Manston Airport has today welcomed the world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft - British Airways’ first Airbus 380.

The plane’s arrival at just after noon strengthens the role of east Kent’s international airport as a contender in the South East aviation debate.

The new addition to BA’s fleet will be based at Manston as part of the airline’s training for its pilots, flight crew and cabin staff before the A380s enter service in September.

Each A380 aircraft can carry 469 passengers over two decks with four cabins. The A380 is rated as producing a quarter of the noise level of the Boeing 747-400 when landing.

It also produces 10 per cent fewer NOx emissions. Powered by four Rolls Royce jet engines, the A380 is 16% more fuel efficient than the aircraft it replaces.

Manston Airport’s chief executive Charles Buchanan said after the plane arrived: “The reason that British Airways chose here was because of the capacity that we have available and because of the length of our runway and the handling capabilities of our teams and the professionalism of our staff.

"We have worked very closely with British Airways for six months on this programme - bringing together all sorts of different elements of what we need to put in place: fire service cover; ground services equipment and all sorts of things like that, to make sure we can handle the aircraft efficiently, and being able to demonstrate that to the aviation community is just going to build our reputation."

“The team at Manston is very proud to be playing a part in bringing this fantastic aircraft into service for British Airways” - Manston Airport chief executive Charles Buchanan

Captain David Thomas, British Airways’ head of flight technical and training, said: “We are delighted to be based at Manston for the next few weeks.

"We’ve been made very welcome by everyone at the airport, and hope that the sight of the A380 in the skies over Ramsgate will be a pleasant surprise for local residents and visitors to the area.

"Manston Airport has the capacity to serve one million passengers per annum today and a deliverable masterplan that accommodates five million or more."

The airport handles more than 30,000 tonnes of freight a year and has the capacity to deliver 100,000 tonnes in the existing facilities, growing to 400,000 in the future.