Flying eye-catchers attracting a lot of attention
It will come as no surprise that we see a large number of planes come and go at our airport. We're therefore not that easily impressed by every aircraft. But sometimes special planes come to Schiphol that do immediately attract attention. Here are some examples of such flying eye-catchers.
BelugaXL
You have extraordinary and you have the BelugaXL. This Airbus aircraft is known for its cute looks, and it is immediately obvious where its name comes from. Besides its cheerful appearance, this powerhouse has another important feature: it can carry very large cargo. The BelugaXL is used by Airbus for flights between its own business locations. We therefore only see it at Schiphol in very special cases.
A380
The Airbus A380 is special not because of its appearance but because of its size. It is, in fact, the largest passenger plane in the world. In July 2010, an A380 landed at Schiphol for the first time on a trial basis. Nowadays, Emirates flies to our airport twice a day with this 72-metre-long colossus. By comparison, that's more than the length of two blue whales. The A380 also has a wingspan of nearly 80 metres and, depending on the type, can carry between 480 and 620 passengers.
Pipistrel
Compared to the giant A380, the Pipistrel Velis Electro is, to say the least, very modest in size. That alone makes this 6.5-metre ‘long’ underdog a striking appearance at Schiphol. But what makes this plane especially exceptional is that it is the very first electric plane ever at our airport. This two-seater is being used by the Netherlands Aerospace Center to learn more about electric flying.
A321neo
The arrival of the Airbus A321neo earlier this year was special for several reasons. Firstly, because this aircraft is cleaner and quieter than its predecessor at KLM, the Boeing 737. And that is of course good news. Secondly, because it was the first time that the aircraft landed at Schiphol. These kinds of inaugurals always receive a special welcome at Schiphol, with a vehicle escort and water salute from the fire brigade.
Special livery
Sometimes an aircraft in itself is not special, but what is stuck or painted on it makes it unique, different or unusual. In fact, we see a lot of aircraft that have a special livery. This is often for commercial or advertising purposes. For example, Taiwanese Eva Air was at Schiphol with a special Hello Kitty aircraft, Turkish SunExpress flew with Paw Patrol livery and Etihad from the United Arab Emirates drew attention to the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix with a special colour scheme.
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