According to Rockradio.co.uk, IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood says the band are planning to tour on Ed Force One next year.

Maiden became the first outfit in history to travel round the world in a customised jet during their Somewhere Back in Time tour, as detailed in award-winning movie Flight 666.

The Boeing 757 carried musicians, crew, gear and guests with singer Bruce Dickinson, a qualified airline pilot, at the controls.

Rock Radio exclusively revealed in April that Maiden had committed to making a new LP. Now Smallwood has confirmed that, and he also says the Brit-winning band will take to the air again in 2010.

Speaking in the Iron Maiden Fan Club magazine, the manager says: "It took a long time to set up the last tour because of the plane. It had never been done before and we didn't know what we were letting ourselves in for. The idea came a couple of years before that and we got into it a year ahead of the game.

"I'm starting to get my head round what we're going to do next summer. It hasn't been decided yet but we'll do something, so I've got to speak to promoters and agents.

"Now we know the plane works, by Christmas we'll have the pattern set. We'll probably be going for the plane and getting that held for us.

"But at the moment, the album's the key thing on the agenda. The guys will be getting together shortly and they're probably starting to get their heads round new ideas for songs individually. Some of them may meet up before we formally get together.

"We'll spend a period writing, we'll take Christmas off and then we'll get into recording. We'll finish the album in time for it to be out next year and I'm just getting my head round what we want to do touring-wise.

"We'll be doing some new places on the next tour. I won't tell you where they are - they're not finalised yet, but some work has been done. One place we can't play that we'd like to is Bolivia - the altitude is just too high for the type of physical performance the guys do. It's a shame."