WORKERS from the region will be involved in aviation history tomorrow when the world's largest commercial passenger plane takes to the skies.
The 240ft-long Airbus A380 will make its maiden test flight from Toulouse airport in Southern France.
Three North-East companies have made parts for the plane.
Engineering firm Harkers, of Stockton, is providing a component linked to the 555-seater plane's landing gear, while Aerospace Systems and Technologies, in Consett, County Durham, is supplying wing parts in a deal worth about £5.4m a year.
Rolls-Royce, which employs 400 people in Sunderland, built the Trent 900 engines.
If the test flight goes well, the plane could fly at the Paris Air Show in June.
It is scheduled to go into passenger service in summer next year.
Airbus already has 154 firm orders from 15 airlines for the plane, which is 80ft tall and has a wingspan of 260ft.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article