May brings the two biggest planes and one high-end car rally

Several exciting technological events will be held in Prague in the first half of May. Two are for planespotters and the one each are for car and train buffs.

The largest cargo plane will be here for a few days while the largest passenger plane will start regular service. A few days later an international car rally will stop by, and then the summer historical train season starts.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya lands at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport at noon on May 10. It can be seen until May 12 when it will leave for Perth, Australia. Details of its cargo have not been disclosed. (for latest updates on schedule visit: www.planes.cz)
It is not only the biggest cargo plane currently in service in the world, but also the biggest plane of any kind. It has a maximum take-off weight of 640 tons. Its wingspan measure 88.4 meters and its length is 84 meters. It is powered by six ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans with 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) thrust each.
The plane was designed by the Soviet Union's Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s, and the first and only An-225 was completed in 1988. By some measures, the Hughes H-4 Hercules is larger, but it only flew once in 1947 and is not currently in service.

Facebook Event Page: Antonov 225 Prague Arrival (ENG) 
Plane Spotting places around Prague Airport: www.planes.cz


On May 1, daily Airbus A380 service launched with Emirates ion its Prague–Dubai route, and people can try to catch a glimpse of the plane any time after that. With a capacity of 519 passengers (as Emirates has it configured), the A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. It represents an increase of 44 percent of capacity compared to the Boeing 777-300ER that had been in service on the route. The Emirates A380 is divided in three classes. Economy class has a capacity of 429 passengers, business has 76 flat bed minipods and there's 14 first class private suites. It also has WiFi, among other entertainment options.

Emirates is now the first and only operator with a regular service route using an Airbus A380 in the Czech Republic. The A-380 had its first flight in 2005 and currently 184 are in service worldwide. It has a wingspan of 79.75 meters and a length of 72.72 meters. It has four engines, available in several types, and can be configured for up to 868 passengers, though no carrier opts for this many.

It is not the first appearance of either plane at the airport, however. An A380 landed in Prague in 2011 for a Lufthansa celebration.


For car buffs the Gumball 3000 Rally will offer you the possibility on May 4 to see 120 luxury and legendary cars driven by well-known celebrities. Cars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin will be side by side with more futuristic models, so you will probably not be disappointed.

The rally opens in Dublin with a launch party on April 30 and will end in Bucharest on May 5. During this time, they will go through eight European cities and cover 3,000 miles. Prague is the fourth stop of this edition of Gumball 3000. The arrival of the cars is expected at the parking lot of the Hilton Prague on May 4 at around 7 p.m.

If you are lucky, you might have the chance to see famous celebrities such as former Formula One racing driver Davis Coulthard, American actor David Hasselhoff, Dutch DJ Afrojack, American rappers Eve and BUN B, and the skateboarder Tony Hawk.

The idea of the Gumball 3000 rally comes from a British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper who wanted to create an event blending sports, cars and music Over the years, his concept caught on and has became one of the most successful sports and cultural event in the world attracting annually over 60 million television viewers and 100 million people on social networks.

Facebook Event Page: Gumball 3000 Rally Prague 2016


If you prefer old and quaint to big and loud, there are steam trains. The Czech Railway Museum at Lužná u Rakovníka has a number of historical train events in the spring and summer including a steam train weekend on May 14–15, with trains leaving from Prague's Masarykovo nádraží.

Facebook Event Page: Steam train Weekend