Airbus A380-800 (9M-MNB)

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-800 taking off from Manchester en route to Kuala Lumpur empty on Sunday 23/07/17 at 12:54. The aircraft had flown into Manchester as a charter flight from Hong Kong earlier on that morning with 4 UK football teams on board bringing them home from their respective tours of the Far East. Because Malaysia Airlines unfortunately don't have permission from the Russians to take the traditional 'ark' route from the Far East to Europe and the UK over China, Mongolia, Siberia and the Baltic nations the aircraft had to take a somewhat contorted and 'round -the-houses' so-to-speak route over Southern China, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and central Europe, adding around about 2 hours or so to the total flight time.