Modern aircraft are big and powerful, and travel very fast. They fly between most countries in the world. At Manukau Airport, we have many flights each day bringing people in to the country as well as taking them away. Also, we have flights that travel from one end of New Zealand to another.

The crew of modern planes have to have a lot of training to learn to do their job. No big passenger plane flies with just one pilot, there is always a co-pilot who helps steer the plane, and who can take over if the captain gets sick.

The planes have to fill up with fuel each time before they leave. Countries spend a lot of money on fuel for their planes. Often it is the amount of fuel that can be carried on a plane that decides how far that plane can actually fly.

Planes don't just carry people, they also carry cargo. This is anything that needs to be sent from one place to another in a hurry. This plane is having cargo loaded into the cargo bay underneath the plane.

The meals that are served on planes are made on the ground, and loaded at the start of the trip. There is no room to cook on a plane. To make plane fares cheaper, a lot of shorter flights don't serve food any more.

The people who look after the passengers are called stewards and stewardesses. They serve food and drink, and help out if any of the passengers are having any problems.

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