A400M makes maiden flight to Airbus at Filton, Bristol

A team which designed and made the wings of the Airbus A400M have seen the completed aircraft for the first time.

The military transport aircraft which is assembled in Spain made its maiden flight to Airbus at Filton, Bristol on Thursday.

The test aircraft Grizzly 3 is one of four currently flying.

Graham Wood, head of the Airbus Filton plant, said: "I am sure the people of Bristol are as proud as I am of the A400M. It's a fabulous aircraft."

The wings of the aircraft are constructed largely from lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic.

The team at Filton also worked on the A400M's air-to-air refuelling system.

Airbus has 10,000 employees in the UK at its facilities in Filton and Broughton in North Wales.

The planes have been ordered by the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey.