It was a prestigious day for GHH Fahrzeuge. For the second time after the company transferred its headquarter and production facilities to Gelsenkirchen they were visited by the head of the municipality of Gelsenkirchen, Lord Major Baranowski and Mr. Hampe, responsible for promotion of local trade and industry.

The Airbus A380, the largest civil aircraft in the world, takes off with a service weight of almost 600 t. First, however, the aircraft has to be loaded, refuelled and towed to an apron, where the engines are started and from where the aircraft can move itself to the runway.

Until a few years ago, this was done with aircraft movers which required the nosewheel landing gear to be coupled via a towbar to the tractor. Given the dimensions and weights of the A380, such a tractor would have to weigh around 70 t, to allow for safe braking and acceleration of the aircraft. This means the vehicle always has to be moved with a massive weight, whether loaded or not.