A huge military plane made houses “rattle” as it carved a bizarre flight path in the skies over Merseyside.
An Airbus A400M was heard as it flew over Liverpool and Wirral at around 8pm on Tuesday, January 9. The A400M RAF plane can be used to carry up to 116 fully-equipped troops to remote airfields and operates to an altitude of 40,000 foot.
The plane first set off from RAF Brize Norton in Carterton and headed north towards Shrewsbury, before diverting to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where it circled around six times. The plane then headed straight for Merseyside, where is has been seen circling between West Derby, Liverpool City Centre, New Brighton and West Kirby.
READ MORE: Council bosses to hold urgent meeting over Liverpool ECHO tax investigation
READ MORE: Paedophile with 19,000 disturbing abuse images thanks judge as he walks from court
The planes often visit Merseyside for training exercises and have been seen on a number of occasions circling over Liverpool. People posted about the plane as it passed over New Brighton and West Derby, with one man adding the plane “rattled the house”.
Typically based at Brize Norton, the plane is one of the biggest at the RAF’s disposal. As well as vehicles and troops, it has the capacity to carry a Chinook helicopter.
RAF Brize Norton located in Oxfordshire, is the largest RAF Station in the UK with around 5,800 Service Personnel, 1,200 contractors and 300 civilian staff and is home to the RAF’s Strategic and Tactical Air Transport (AT) and Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) forces, as well as host to many lodger and reserve units.
The Airbus model is typically referred to as Atlas by the RAF.
Enter our £2,000 Wickes voucher giveaway and step into 2024 with style
Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
