The Airbus A380, the world's first double-deck aircraft, has once again chosen Al Ain International Airport as home base for its hot weather tests.

This is the third time in a row that Airbus has used Al Ain International Airport as base for ensuring compatibility of its systems with hot climates, said an Airbus official.

The giant craft touched down at Al Ain Airport at 6 pm on Monday at the beginning of an intensive compatibility testing and pilot training programme to ensure that the craft is ready for commercial operation.

Welcoming the A380, Al Ain Airport Director Faris Al Mazrouei said the fact that Airbus had chosen Al Ain Airport as base for the A380 hot weather compatibility tests testified to their confidence in the professional services available at the airport.

Al Ain International Airport played host to the A380's hot weather checks twice during 2006. This year's programme includes a week-long testing and pilot training.

Al Mazrouei said preparations had been made to ensure that the craft received the best support during its stay at Al Ain Airport.

Al Ain International Airport serves the eastern region of Abu Dhabi with an efficient cargo hub facility and is an ideal base for low cost and low fare carriers. The location alone means carriers who prefer to operate from a secondary airport can easily tap the entire UAE market.

Al Ain is just a 60-minute drive from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai with congestion-free highways linking the three cities and making transport easy and reliable for passengers. The terminal facilities, built in 1994 and recently refreshed, are modern and spacious catering to many combinations of narrow or wide body aircraft with easy walk-up access to the terminal.

Recently, the Emirates Corporation for Commercial Postal Services (Empost) has moved in to take advantage of Al Ain Airport's strategic location. The UAE national courier has chosen Al Ain Airport as the main hub for their international air cargo operations, which will extend to the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, and Europe.Trade Arabia News Service