First Filipino A380 pilotOriginally Posted by tiger31
At 10:26 pm on Tuesday, October 7, Filipino captain Franklyn Desiderio safely landed the Airbus 380 – Emirates’ flagship aircraft – at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
Desiderio, the first Filipino certified to fly A380, helmed that rare appearance of the world’s largest passenger airliner at a Manila airport, and which left the country at 1:15 am on Wednesday, October 8.
The flight from Dubai – flight EK334 – was a one-off, commercial flight to Manila, to celebrate the Dubai-based Emirates' transfer to NAIA 3. President Benigno Aquino III and other government officials were there to welcome the passengers.
“I’m happy, I’m happy. I can’t describe how happy I’m now,” Desiderio beamed about the opportunity to be part of the rare service of Emirates, for which he is a pilot for about 9 years.
Flying since 16
At 41, the Desiderio has been a pilot for 25 years, with over 18 years and 14,000 hours of commercial flying experience. Before flying A380, he was a captain for A330 and A340 airplanes. He has been flying the A380 since January 2014.
Boeing 777 is Emirates passenger airliner that flies to Manila. Emirates started flying between Manila and Dubai in 1990 and as of 2013, the airline welcomed over 820,000 passengers on its 3 daily Dubai-Manila services.
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