A water-canon salute greeted the A380 bearing Malaysia Airlines' new all-blue premium livery (the honour of wearing this livery goes exclusively to the A380 flagship fleet) on 28 June 2012 when it arrived from Toulouse.
The air at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was humid and mostly still, except for the little gust of winds that provided infrequent but temporary relief. Gate C17 was filling up with passengers booked to fly to London onboard Malaysia Airlines inaugural A380 flight, guests, staff, media representatives ... just about everyone except the photographers who would rather "risk being cooked" on the ramp.
Sitting majestically on the ramp, MAS' first Airbus A380 (registered 9M-MNA) looked like she was being given a cosmetic make-over as whimsical lines in a riot of colours "painted" the aircraft as if it was a canvas for an artist on steroid. At no two separate moments is the aircraft exactly alike ... and like the other photographers present, I could not help but continue firing away with my camera in a furious effort to capture every possible variation.
Choreographed by an external event management company, the light show was part of the send-off that Malaysia Airlines was giving to its new flagship, the Airbus A380 on its maiden flight to London-Heathrow. With only one aircraft delivered, only three weekly services will be operated and a second aircraft will make a daily frequency an achievable goal.
Credit goes to the planners and the management of MAS for holding back loading of the aircraft's cargo load but ultimately, the ground staff had no choice but to commence loading in order to ensure a punctual departure. As soon as this was achieved, they wasted no time in closing the cargo door and the perspiration-soaked photographers once again regain their trigger-happy character.
By now, the light patterns projected on the aircraft have changed into dots with a huge variety of colours. Such a projection is not new - at the ceremony in Toulouse to mark the delivery of Qantas' first A380, a similar light show was staged. On that occasion, the complicated patters did not sit particularly well especially on the tail. MAS and the events planners had the good sense to leave most of the tail free from the projected light and the blue "wau" logo of the airline sat prominently and bathed in white light.
One of the photographers' chief concern revolved around the availability of sufficient intensity of light when the aircraft pushes back. A Thai Airways International aircraft which taxied by early clearly showed us that lighting was going to be a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Just as the A380 was about to be pushed back, a magical moment happened when the ramp and the aircraft were suddenly awashed in a beautiful pure white light - the kind of light that photographers conducting night-shoot can only fantasise about.
From that moment on, there was nothing to stop everyone on the ramp and in the gate holdroom from capturing the retreating aircraft with the mobile phones, cameras, iPads and every conceivable device. There was also a palpable swelling of pride among all the staff members present. I sensed a new hope swelling as Malaysia Airlines sends off its first A380 to one of its most important destination, London. After all the negative news of recent times, this was a new beginning accompanied by a new resolve and energy. I relished the energy around me and soaked in this positivity.
By the time this blog comes online, the inaugural Malaysia Airlines A380 flight to London-Heathrow has already arrived in its destinations and there is no doubt that around the airfield, hoardes of spotters and photographers would have pointed their cameras at this gorgeous bird and recorded its approach and landing. And there certainly is yet another ceremony on the ramp and in the arrival hall.
Well done Malaysia Airlines ... I wish you a bright new future ahead and if the brilliant light show at KLIA is anything to go by, you are already on the way there.
