Dublin Airport will receive its first visit of the Boeing 747-8 aircraft on Tuesday evening when the aircraft will arrive from Zurich shortly after 7.00 pm. The plane, carrying Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his delegation of officials will be in Ireland for a two day visit. The Boeing 747-8 aircraft has a wingspan of 68m and is 76m long, which is bigger than the current largest commercial aircraft to land at Dublin Airport – the B747-400 which has a wingspan measuring 64m and is 71m long. The largest aircraft of any kind to land at Dublin Airport is the military Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, with a wingspan of 67 metres and a length of 75 metres, which last visited Dublin in 2019. Last year also saw the visit to Dublin Airport of Air Force One, which has a wingspan of 60 metres and a length of 70 metres. Air Force One will be replaced by the larger Boeing 747-8 during the term of the next US President.
Commenting ahead of its arrival, the Media Relations Manager at daa, the operator of Dublin Airport, Graeme McQueen said, “This will be the biggest commercial aircraft to ever land at Dublin Airport and will join the long list of landmark moments in the long history of the airport, which this week celebrates its 84th birthday. The runways at Dublin Airport have just about seen it all over the past eight decades, from numerous US Presidents, through to The Beatles and several Popes, but this is a first and the arrival of a 747-8 aircraft will mark yet another significant milestone for the airport. The team at Dublin Airport is looking forward to welcoming Premier Li, his delegation and all of the passengers on board the 747-8 on Tuesday evening.”
