The car gives chase as the Emirates A380 prepares for takeoff. Courtesy Emirates
The car gives chase as the Emirates A380 prepares for takeoff. Courtesy Emirates
The car gives chase as the Emirates A380 prepares for takeoff. Courtesy Emirates
The car gives chase as the Emirates A380 prepares for takeoff. Courtesy Emirates

Emirates A380 outruns a flashing car on the runway — but what is going on?


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

"Wait, wait, you've forgotten to pack your toothbrush!"

There's a multitude of potential reasons why a car with its lights flashing is speeding down a runway in pursuit of an Emirates Airbus A380.

In this clip, shared by the Dubai airline, the car dramatically enters the scene as if giving chase in a Hollywood movie — think James Bond or an early Nicolas Cage action set-piece.

The car never gets close to the accelerating superjumbo, which soars off into the night sky.

But rather than a scene from a film you might see in a future trip to the cinema, it was, as Emirates said, simply a "follow me" car.

The footage was taken at Dusseldorf Airport in Germany, which joined in the fun on social media, replying that next time the car would "shift up a gear".

The role of a "follow me" car is to go on to the runways and taxiways to carry out routine inspections to make sure they are clear of debris or any obstructions.

They are also used sometimes to guide aircraft to their parking positions and gates.

Such cars are also in operation at Dubai International Airport.

“At Dubai International (DXB) we operate a fleet of airside operations vehicles that have a number of different service tasks, one of which is to provide a “follow me” to any aircraft that may not be aware of the airfield layout, or have radio transmission issues,” a Dubai Airports spokesperson said.

Given the need to move swiftly to avoid causing any delays on the runway, it can help if the "follow me" car is capable of some serious speed itself.

As of this summer,  Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Italy is in possession of a new Lamborghini Huracan, having first introduced the Huracan for duty at the airport in 2016.

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From Concorde to the A380 - 100 years of British Airways

  • The final British Airways Concorde flight lifts off from John F Kennedy Airport in New York on its final voyage to London, on October 24, 2003. AFP
    The final British Airways Concorde flight lifts off from John F Kennedy Airport in New York on its final voyage to London, on October 24, 2003. AFP
  • The Royal Air Force Aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, and a British Airways Boeing 747 at 2019 Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Britain, on July 20, 2019. EPA / RAF
    The Royal Air Force Aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, and a British Airways Boeing 747 at 2019 Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Britain, on July 20, 2019. EPA / RAF
  • Concorde pictured at Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi in July 1974. Courtesy: Peter Alvis
    Concorde pictured at Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi in July 1974. Courtesy: Peter Alvis
  • A BOAC Boeing 707 taxing to its terminal gate as two Vickers VC10 long-range narrow-body four engined commercial jet airliners for the British Overseas Airways Corporation are refuelled at London Heathrow airport on October 22, 1968 in London. Getty Images
    A BOAC Boeing 707 taxing to its terminal gate as two Vickers VC10 long-range narrow-body four engined commercial jet airliners for the British Overseas Airways Corporation are refuelled at London Heathrow airport on October 22, 1968 in London. Getty Images
  • A British Airways Airbus A380. Courtesy British Airways
    A British Airways Airbus A380. Courtesy British Airways
  • The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Short Sandringham passenger flying boat a demilitarised conversions of the Short Sunderland military flying boat taxing for its maiden flight from the Short Brothers facility on 28 November 1945 at Rochester, United Kingdom. Getty Images
    The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Short Sandringham passenger flying boat a demilitarised conversions of the Short Sunderland military flying boat taxing for its maiden flight from the Short Brothers facility on 28 November 1945 at Rochester, United Kingdom. Getty Images
  • A British Airways plane touches down in Phoenix in the US in 1996 with its Landor livery. Courtesy British Airways
    A British Airways plane touches down in Phoenix in the US in 1996 with its Landor livery. Courtesy British Airways
  • British Airways Concorde Flight 1215 passes through a water display provided by the Massport Fire Rescue Department after arriving at Logan International Airport from London on October 8, 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was one of only three North American cities, including Washington, DC and Toronto, to receive a special farewell visit from the Concorde before the supersonic fleet was taken out of service. Getty Images / AFP
    British Airways Concorde Flight 1215 passes through a water display provided by the Massport Fire Rescue Department after arriving at Logan International Airport from London on October 8, 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was one of only three North American cities, including Washington, DC and Toronto, to receive a special farewell visit from the Concorde before the supersonic fleet was taken out of service. Getty Images / AFP
  • A British Airways Boeing 747 passenger plane in historic BOAC livery. EPA
    A British Airways Boeing 747 passenger plane in historic BOAC livery. EPA
  • Aviation pioneer Sir Alan Cobham (1894 - 1973, left) with Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett (1910 - 1986), Chief Executive of British South American Airways, in front of a converted Lancaster bomber at Heathrow Airport, UK, 28th May 1947. J Wilds / Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
    Aviation pioneer Sir Alan Cobham (1894 - 1973, left) with Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett (1910 - 1986), Chief Executive of British South American Airways, in front of a converted Lancaster bomber at Heathrow Airport, UK, 28th May 1947. J Wilds / Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • Miss Dorothy West, a hostess on a British European Airways, Viking, photographed at Northolt, Northolt. Year unknown. Getty Images
    Miss Dorothy West, a hostess on a British European Airways, Viking, photographed at Northolt, Northolt. Year unknown. Getty Images
  • The British European Airways (BEA) Vickers Viscount medium-range four engined turboprop commercial airliner circa 1960. Fox Photos / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
    The British European Airways (BEA) Vickers Viscount medium-range four engined turboprop commercial airliner circa 1960. Fox Photos / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • The earliest production de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 four engined pressurised passenger jet airliner registration G-ALYP of the British Overseas Airways Corporation flying above the United Kingdom with the first prototype Ministry of Supply Comet DH106 G-ALVG during trials on 4th April 1951. Central Press / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
    The earliest production de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 four engined pressurised passenger jet airliner registration G-ALYP of the British Overseas Airways Corporation flying above the United Kingdom with the first prototype Ministry of Supply Comet DH106 G-ALVG during trials on 4th April 1951. Central Press / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • A British Airways special liveried Boeing 747 takes to the skies alongside the Red Arrows during the 2019 Royal International Air Tattoo on July 20, 2019 at RAF Fairford, England. The Boeing 747 has been painted in the airline's predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) livery to mark British Airways' centenary this year. Getty Images for British Airways
    A British Airways special liveried Boeing 747 takes to the skies alongside the Red Arrows during the 2019 Royal International Air Tattoo on July 20, 2019 at RAF Fairford, England. The Boeing 747 has been painted in the airline's predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) livery to mark British Airways' centenary this year. Getty Images for British Airways
  • British aircraft engineer Geoffrey de Havilland (1882 - 1965, centre) hands over the articles of a new Comet IV jet airliner to Sir Gerard d'Erlanger (right), Chairman of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation), at London Airport, 30th September 1958. On the left is Aubrey F Burke, Managing Director of the de Havilland Aircraft Manufacturing Company. J Wilds / Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
    British aircraft engineer Geoffrey de Havilland (1882 - 1965, centre) hands over the articles of a new Comet IV jet airliner to Sir Gerard d'Erlanger (right), Chairman of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation), at London Airport, 30th September 1958. On the left is Aubrey F Burke, Managing Director of the de Havilland Aircraft Manufacturing Company. J Wilds / Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • 22nd November 1977: Captain Brian Walpole smiles from the cockpit of Concorde, having flown from London to New York on its first commercial flight. Brian Alpert / Keystone / Getty Images
    22nd November 1977: Captain Brian Walpole smiles from the cockpit of Concorde, having flown from London to New York on its first commercial flight. Brian Alpert / Keystone / Getty Images
  • Spectators watch the last ever British Airways commercial Concorde flight touch down at Heathrow airport on October 24, 2003 in London. Getty Images
    Spectators watch the last ever British Airways commercial Concorde flight touch down at Heathrow airport on October 24, 2003 in London. Getty Images
  • Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident 1C medium-range commercial jet airliners for British European Airways (BEA) lined up at de Havillands Hatfield Aerodrome following a Far East sales drive on October 29, 1963 in London. Getty Images
    Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident 1C medium-range commercial jet airliners for British European Airways (BEA) lined up at de Havillands Hatfield Aerodrome following a Far East sales drive on October 29, 1963 in London. Getty Images
  • April 1946: Miss B Midgley of Northolt aerodrome stands under the nose of a BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) aircraft. She was one of ten 'air traffic girls' currently taking part in a course at Hurn airport, to learn how to deal professionally with passengers. Getty Images
    April 1946: Miss B Midgley of Northolt aerodrome stands under the nose of a BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) aircraft. She was one of ten 'air traffic girls' currently taking part in a course at Hurn airport, to learn how to deal professionally with passengers. Getty Images
  • A Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident 2E registration G-AVFF and a Trident 3B registration G-AWZJ medium-range commercial jet airliners for British European Airways (BEA) lined up at their passenger terminal gates at London Heathrow airport on May 1, 1975 in London. Getty Images
    A Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident 2E registration G-AVFF and a Trident 3B registration G-AWZJ medium-range commercial jet airliners for British European Airways (BEA) lined up at their passenger terminal gates at London Heathrow airport on May 1, 1975 in London. Getty Images
  • Concorde arrives at its final destination at The Museum of Flight, April 19, 2004 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images
    Concorde arrives at its final destination at The Museum of Flight, April 19, 2004 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images
  • A mass meeting that took place at London Airport during a strike by 4,000 British Overseas Airways Corporation engineers, on October 16, 1958. Getty Images
    A mass meeting that took place at London Airport during a strike by 4,000 British Overseas Airways Corporation engineers, on October 16, 1958. Getty Images
  • The second Anglo-French supersonic airliner, Concorde 002, at the British Aircraft Corporation's airfield at Filton, Bristol where it was construtcted. 002 is identical to Concorde 001, which was assembled in France, containing the same French and British built parts. Getty Images
    The second Anglo-French supersonic airliner, Concorde 002, at the British Aircraft Corporation's airfield at Filton, Bristol where it was construtcted. 002 is identical to Concorde 001, which was assembled in France, containing the same French and British built parts. Getty Images
  • A British Airways flight from London arrives in Gibraltar on September 11, 2018. Getty Images
    A British Airways flight from London arrives in Gibraltar on September 11, 2018. Getty Images
  • A British Airways Airbus aircraft flies over the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace during the London 2012 Victory Parade for Team GB and Paralympic GB athletes on September 10, 2012 in London. Getty Images
    A British Airways Airbus aircraft flies over the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace during the London 2012 Victory Parade for Team GB and Paralympic GB athletes on September 10, 2012 in London. Getty Images
  • A British Airways plane flying past the moon on day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2012 in London. Getty Images
    A British Airways plane flying past the moon on day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2012 in London. Getty Images
  • A British Airways plane taxis from Heathrow's Terminal 5 on October 25, 2016 in London. Getty Images
    A British Airways plane taxis from Heathrow's Terminal 5 on October 25, 2016 in London. Getty Images
  • A British Airways plane makes its way towards City Airport, passing over the Shard building on February 14, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images
    A British Airways plane makes its way towards City Airport, passing over the Shard building on February 14, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images
  • British Overseas Airways Corporation de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 four engined pressurised passenger jet airliner registration G-ALYP taking off from London Heathrow airport on the world's first commercial jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers to Johannesburg, South Africa on May 2, 1952. Getty Images
    British Overseas Airways Corporation de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 four engined pressurised passenger jet airliner registration G-ALYP taking off from London Heathrow airport on the world's first commercial jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers to Johannesburg, South Africa on May 2, 1952. Getty Images
  • Circa 1955: Passengers crossing the runway at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport to board a British European Airways flight. Getty Images
    Circa 1955: Passengers crossing the runway at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport to board a British European Airways flight. Getty Images
  • A British Aircraft Corporation Super One-Eleven 500 short-range commercial jet airliner (BAC 1-11 ) for British European Airways (BEA) registration G-AVMH County of Cheshire flying above the United Kingdom circa June 1967. Getty Images
    A British Aircraft Corporation Super One-Eleven 500 short-range commercial jet airliner (BAC 1-11 ) for British European Airways (BEA) registration G-AVMH County of Cheshire flying above the United Kingdom circa June 1967. Getty Images
  • The Vickers-Armstrongs Vickers Viscount 700 prototype medium-range commercial turboprop airliner for British European Airways (BEA) registration G-AMAV flying somewhere above the United Kingdom on April 18, 1953. Getty Images
    The Vickers-Armstrongs Vickers Viscount 700 prototype medium-range commercial turboprop airliner for British European Airways (BEA) registration G-AMAV flying somewhere above the United Kingdom on April 18, 1953. Getty Images
  • A converted Avro Lancaster heavy bomber the Avro 683 Lancastrian MkI passenger airliner of the BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corporation registration G-AGMO flying above the United Kingdom circa 1946. Getty Images
    A converted Avro Lancaster heavy bomber the Avro 683 Lancastrian MkI passenger airliner of the BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corporation registration G-AGMO flying above the United Kingdom circa 1946. Getty Images
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT

2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals

2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals

2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals

RACE CARD

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

'Spies in Disguise'

Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Thursday’s fixtures

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10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters

Teams

Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.

Squad rules

All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.

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The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Tamkeen's offering
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