Huntsville gets FAA approval to handle B747-8s

Huntsville gets FAA approval to handle B747-8s    Alabama's Huntsville International Airport has received Federal Aviation Administration certification to accommodate the Boeing 747-8.
   The certification allow the airport to accommodate the plane on its 10,000-foot runway and 12,600-foot runway — the second-longest in the Southeast — as well as all associated taxiways. Huntsville is among 21 airports approved to accommodate this plane type, including Chicago O'Hare, John F. Kennedy, Atlanta and Miami.
   'This certification by the FAA is of significant importance to our facility,' said Rick Tucker, executive director, Huntsville International Airport, in a statement. Huntsville serves as the U.S.-based flight operations for B747 freighter charterer and freight forwarder Panalpina.
   'With the milestone increase in air cargo volume at the International Intermodal Center — up 27.9 percent in June 2011 as compared year over year — it is critical that the airport remain proactive in its approach, continuing to position itself as the Southeast global gateway,' said Betty Fletcher, chairman of the Huntsville International Airport board.
   Huntsville airport initially requested FAA approval in January 2010. The airport has accommodated numerous types of large-body aircraft, including the Antonov AN-124, a test of the B747-8, and most recently, the arrival of two B747-LCF 'Dreamlifters.'