At 143m (469ft) in length the A2 is considerably longer than the Airbus A380, but its wingspan is similar, which is important for normal runway use.

Flying at 80,000ft and travelling at Mach 5 the A2 would effectively be travelling at the edge of the atmosphere with the curvature of the Earth visible.

For taxiing the A2 aircraft would be fully automatic. Noise emissions would be within current airport restrictions though new ground facility hydrogen storage tanks would be required for the A2's fuel.

Even when fuelled-up for an antipodal route flight, the A2 would use conventional airport runways.