The world’s largest passenger aircraft made a spectacular landing on Ireland’s longest runway this as a Lufthansa Airbus A380-841 jet touched down at Shannon Airport.
The double‑decker “superjumbo,” which can carry more than 500 passengers, landed at 11am showcasing its extraordinary scale at 73 metres in length and 24 metres high.
The jet will undergo repainting at International Aerospace Coatings at Shannon Airport before returning to service.
While a rare visitor, British Airways and Air France A380s have visited Shannon in the past.
Airport Director of Shannon Airport, Niall Kearns, said: “It’s always exciting for the public when a big plane like the A380 flies into Shannon, and it’s very impressive sitting on the runway, dwarfing more regular aircraft. With the longest runway in the country, we are well equipped to accommodate these larger scale aircraft, and we handle them quite regularly. This Airbus A380 is rarely seen in Ireland, and we’re delighted to welcome it back.”
In addition to the A380, Shannon Airport welcomed what was the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Antonov AN-225, on many occasions prior to its demise in 2022. In 2020, the six‑storey aircraft landed with Ireland’s largest single consignment of PPE, at a pivotal moment during the COVID‑19 response. It’s smaller sibling, the Antonov AN-124, now the world’s largest cargo aircraft, is a regular visitor to Shannon Airport, most recently touching down in December 2025.
In 2006, before the world’s largest passenger jet entered service, Airbus used Shannon as part of the aircraft’ certification process. The Airbus A380 was sent to Shannon specifically for cross-wind training as weather forecast in the area at the time was ideal.
In August 2013, British Airways confirmed Shannon Airport as it’s preferred diversionary airport in Ireland as if any of the airline’s Airbus A380 Superjumbo’s needed to make an unscheduled landing.
A month earlier, the first of the company’s new A-380’s flew into the airport on a ‘familiarisation visit’ to see if the airport was capable of handling the massive jet.
