Emirates operates the world's largest fleet of Airbus 380s, and we get to see one everyday at LAX. With a fleet of over 100 A380s, there are bound to be some with special liveries - and here are a few of them. The opening shot is the standard Emirates paint scheme on an A380 arriving on Runway 24 Right.
This shot is special in two ways: Besides the special Year of Zayed 2018 livery, it also shows an A380 departing from Runway 25 Left. Of the various A380 operators at LAX, Emirates is the most likely to require Runway 25 Left for departure.
No, it's not Emirates, but it is another A380 arriving on Runway 24 Right. Unlike the opening shot, with its dramatic tire smoke from the touchdown of the main landing gear, this shot caught the rare tire smoke from the touchdown of the nose gear - quite possibly a personal first.
Great pictures! Why is Emirates more likely to depart from 25?
ReplyDeleteOf the eight carriers that operate the A380 at LAX, Emirates has their A380 on the longest route: Los Angeles to Dubai, a flight of around 8800 miles and 16 hours. In addition to having to carry more fuel than the other A380 departures, the Emirates flight generally leaves in the mid-afternoon, when temperatures will be higher than for earlier or later departures. The heavier fuel load combined with the thinner air caused by the higher air temperature result in them needing a longer runway for takeoff. Runway 24 Left is the preferred and most common departure runway for the A380 at LAX, but if you're in an A380 and need more runway than that, then you'll get Runway 25 Left.
DeleteThe other A380 operators at LAX are Air France, Asiana, British Airways, China Southern, Lufthansa, Korean, and Qantas. We used to have Singapore A380s, but Singapore has started to phase out their A380s in favor of newer aircraft.
Besides Dubai, other A380 destinations from LAX are Guangzhou, London, Melbourne, Paris, Munich, Seoul, and Sidney. Lufthansa used to fly their A380 between Los Angeles and Frankfurt, but that flight is now operated with an A340-600.