The recent bitter winter in Europe has provided for some spectacular video footage from flugsnug yo of an Emirates A380 battling the elements.
Here, Emirates flight EK40 creates its own snow and slush storm as it ‘blasts off’, angling into the wind as it lifts-off.
EK operates daily from Birmingham to Dubai.
WATCH: Spectacular landings and take-offs
Another Airbus A380 that created a snowy blast is this test aircraft which was based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada in February 2007 for cold weather testing.
The A380 spent five days in conditions of up to minus 30 degrees Celsius to prove full functionality of the systems under extreme weather conditions.
Such trials included powering up the aircraft, the engines and hydraulic systems after a full 12-hour period at such low temperatures.
The batteries were taken away overnight and kept in a warm area.
The next morning, batteries were reinstalled onboard the aircraft for the tests.
On the way back from Iqaluit, the A380 also carried out polar navigation tests.
In January Airbus clinched a deal with Emirates that will allow it to continue production of its A380 superjumbo for another decade.
Emirates committed to buy up to 36 of the double-decker planes.
Emirates chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum signed the memorandum of understanding with outgoing Airbus chief operating officer customers John Leahy.
The deal, valued at $US16 billion at list prices, is for 20 firm orders and 16 options to be delivered from 2020.
Emirates is the world’s biggest operator of the A380 and has already taken delivery of 101 planes.
Including its current backlog of 41 aircraft, the new order brought its total commitment to the A380 program to 178 aircraft worth more than $US60 billion.
The airline, which uses both GE and Rolls-Royce power plants on its A380s, said it was still evaluating engine options for its latest order.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirate,’’ Sheik Ahmed said when he announced the deal.
“Our customers love it, and we’ve been able to deploy it on different missions across our network, giving us flexibility in terms of range and passenger mix.
“Some of the new A380s we’ve just ordered will be used as fleet replacements. This order will provide stability to the A380 production line. We will continue to work closely with Airbus to further enhance the aircraft and onboard product, so as to offer our passengers the best possible experience.”
