The world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 'superjumbo' underwent testing exercises in Shannon Airport today.
The aircraft touched down at around 11.50am today before spending a number of hours performing "cross-wind training".
A spokeswoman for the airport said winds at Shannon provided the testers with the exact conditions they were looking for.
She said the plane performed aborted take-offs and a number touch-and-goes - where the aircraft touches the runway before taking-off again.
The A380 also underwernt a series of instrument tests before returning to Toulouse shortly before 3pm.
The massive jet has a wingspan of 262ft and is capable of carrying 555 people in three classes or more than 800 in all-economy seating.
Shannon's 3.2 kilometre main runway is the longest in the country and the airport hosts 8 or 9 training sessions per month.
Last week Airbus's parent company EADS confirmed new delays to its A380 programme.
The €12-billion programme to produce the new plane is already up to a year overdue and sparked an EADS profit warning and management shake-up in June.
