Thousands of people are expected to descend on Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park next week to witness an historic flight.
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner is being brought to Manchester by Thomson Airways, Boeing's first UK customer for the aircraft, who will use the visit as an opportunity to give some of its staff the chance to get up close to the aircraft for the first time.
The special aircraft will be making a flying visit to the region arriving in the evening on Monday, 23rd April, as part of the sixth leg of the Boeing Dream World Tour. On Tuesday 24th April, the aircraft will depart for a short demo flight around mid-morning returning at lunchtime to thousands of spectators.
With the visit just around the corner, preparations are now in full swing at the park for the aircraft's visit with everything from how to give enthusiasts a great view to how to manage the extra traffic on local roads being considered.
Andrew Harrison, Chief Operating Officer for the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said: "The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the next generation aircraft and we're delighted that Thomson, one of our largest customers, has chosen to bring it to Manchester. It will be really exciting to finally see it touchdown on our runway and we're planning to pull out all the stops to give her thousands of local fans the chance to see her.
"The Runway Visitor Park is used to historic flights that attract large crowds. In 2003, over 25,000 people came to see the final arrival of Concorde and more recently in 2010 when Manchester became the first regional airport to get daily A380 flights, over 10,000 people flocked to the park for its inaugural flight."
The Runway Visitor Park team are also creating a special exhibition with aviation experts on hand to give visitors information about the 787 Dreamliner and what makes it a unique aircraft. The park will also be staying open late to accommodate the expected crowds.
The Park, which attracts around 300,000 visitors every year, has been voted one of the top tourist attractions for the North West. More recently it has been granted approval from VisitEngland and now displays the recognised stamp of approval, the VisitEngland's red rose logo quality plaque.
