A Kannadiga piloted historic A380 landing at Bengaluru!

Team Udayavani, Oct 19, 2022, 10:38 AM IST

Image credit: Twitter / @sunnyprabhu

It was a historic moment on October 14 at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) when the world’s largest passenger aircraft, Airbus A380, touched down for the first time. It was a matter of pride that the flight was piloted by a Kannadiga. To add to the excitement, the post-flight announcement in the cabin was also in Kannada.

Capt Sandeep Prabhu, a Kannadiga and a pilot with Emirates Airlines was at the helm when the iconic aircraft landed in Karnataka for the first time. He also attracted the attention of the air passengers by welcoming them to Bengaluru in Kannada. His love for ‘Kannada’ has also received praise on social media.

On October 14 flight EK562 departed from Dubai Airport at 10:11 am. After a 1,701-mile flight that lasted 3 hours and 52 minutes, the aircraft landed at Bengaluru Airport. The landing made Kempegowda International Airport the third Indian airport where the superjumbo touched down.

Also WATCH: Airbus A380, world’s biggest passenger plane, lands at Bengaluru airport for the first time!

Satyendra Prabhu, brother of Capt Prabhu announced the news in a Twitter post that read: “Proud and overwhelmed at the time, as my brother @sandyprabhu has landed the superjumbo AirBus A380 at #BlrAirport this afternoon, creating history and achieving a first of its kind feat in Bengaluru.”

Coastal connection

Capt Sandeep Prabhu traces his roots to Alevoor in Udupi. He is the second child of Dr. Shivaraya Prabhu and Aarti Prabhu of Alevoor. He has been serving as a pilot for the past 15 years. He pursued studies till class 7 at the St Aloysius Higher Primary School in Mangaluru.

In another Tweet, Satyendra Prabhu wrote: “Proud of Mangalorean/Bangalorean @sandyprabhu landing first superjumbo AirBus A380 at #BlrAirport. with Pilot announcements in Kannada.”

After completing pilot training in Bengaluru and the Philippines, and advanced courses in France, Capt Prabhu was inducted into Emirates Airlines in Dubai for its A380 fleet. He was also part of the crew that landed the superjumbo at Mumbai.