Hundreds enjoy A380’s lap of honour at Louvre

Two specially equipped helicopters filmed the Etihad aircraft as it flew over museum

Hundreds of visitors from around the world attending Saturday’s official public opening celebrations of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, were treated to a low-level flyby of the museum by one of Etihad Airways’ flagship Airbus A380 aircraft.

Sporting the airline’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ livery, the aircraft chosen for the display now also features Louvre Abu Dhabi’s official logo on each of its four engines, to promote the opening of the institution, said an Etihad press release issued yesterday.

Etihad Airways also took the opportunity to capture a series of spectacular images from the fly-by, and commissioned a short video directed by upand-coming Emirati director, Ahmad Abdul Qader, shot from the flight deck of the aircraft and from within Louvre Abu Dhabi, to celebrate the historic occasion.

Two specially equipped helicopters were also positioned above the capital to capture airto-air filming of the aircraft as it flew over the museum, located in Saadiyat Cultural District.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways CEO, said: “Echoing the sentiments from the signing of our landmark partnership agreement with Louvre Abu Dhabi last month, Etihad Airways is today honoured to play its part in the inauguration of this hugely important universal institution.”