"Warm Welcome Home For The Wings That Wales Built" - Öpik

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th May 2006

"The whole of Wales ought to be proud of this great achievement."

Commenting on the Airbus A380's first British flight today, Lembit Öpik, MP for Montgomeryshire and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said:

"This is a proud moment for Welsh engineering and for British aviation. The technology of the A380 exceeds that of the Apollo moon landings, and this multi-billion pound project owes much of its success to the diligence, intelligence and dedication of the workers at the Airbus factory in Broughton.

"Local MP Mark Tami, who was at the launch today, has much to be proud of, just as the whole of Wales ought to be proud of this great achievement."

The A380 superjumbo flew over the Airbus factory at Broughton, Flintshire, where the wings are made, before heading onto Heathrow Airport.

Lembit, who is a licensed pilot and is Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Aerospace Group, was among a group of politicians, businesspeople and Airbus staff, including Gordon Brown, who welcomed the A380 to Heathrow for the first time this afternoon.

Lembit said: "This is a little piece of history and it was great to see employees at the Welsh factory lined up to watch this impressive homecoming.

"The A380 means jobs and growth for Wales' Aeropace Industry and for the rest of us it means a safe, fast and comfortable new way to travel, in an aircraft that's 15% more environmentally friendly than its nearest rivals."

ENDS