Description:

Airbus Factory Tour, Saint-Nazaire

Aviation has long been part of the Saint Nazaire industrial landscape and today the Airbus plant is located on the outskirts of Saint-Nazaire at Montoir-de-Bretagne in Loire-atlantique. This major Airbus factory and technological centre specializes principally in the assembly and testing of the forward and central fuselage sections of Airbus aircraft including the giant A380 airliner.

History of Aviation in Saint Nazaire

• 1922 -1935: The aviation industry in Saint Nazaire started in the 1920s, with the intention of building on skills associated with the Saint Nazaire’s shipbuilding industry and providing industrial diversification.
• 1935-1941: Aircraft construction in Saint Nazaire was nationalised. These years saw the focus of construction change to re-armament and warplanes.
• 1947-1962: Years of specialised construction – the famous French airliner the Caravelle was built and on the defence side, co-operation with and sub-contracting for Dassault Industries
• 1962-1970: The Concorde years – the iconic Franco-British supersonic airliner is developed with Saint Nazaire involved in construction of sections of this legendary aircraft.
• 1970 onwards: The Airbus era. Pan-European co-operation amongst aeronautics manufacturers from the A300 to the ambitious A380. Airbus sales of aircraft now number almost 10,000!

The A380 and the Airbus Family

In massive workshops, as spic and span as a hospital ward, large fuselage sections for the full range of Airbus aircraft including the famous A380 are assembled and tested. Final aircraft assembly is carried out at other Airbus plants in Toulouse and Hamburg depending on the model.

During the Airbus factory tour, the visitor will not see aircraft in the air, but rather will catch glimpses of the technology which goes into the making of an Airbus – the gubbins which are always hidden from view under the fuselage skin of a completed aircraft.

Inspection galleries within the Airbus factory, specially built for the tour, provide excellent views of the different sections of Airbus models – the A320, A330, A340 – and including the breathtaking mammoth of the skies, the A380 ‘super jumbo’. Saint Nazaire constructs two-thirds of the fuselage of the enormous A380, a double-decker aircraft and the largest airliner ever built. Figures cannot do justice to the scale of the A380, but for the technically minded (or plane spotters!) the basic version of the A380 has a wingspan of 79.80 metres (262 feet), a maximum height of 24.10 metres (79 feet) and a length of 73 metres (240 feet). The basic version has a capacity of 555 passengers and a range of 15,000 kilometres (just over 9300 miles).

The Logistics of Multi-centred Aircraft Consstruction - Is that a plane or a whale?

Airbus is a pan-European company and the construction of aircraft where production centres are spread far apart throughout Europe presents logistical difficulties which would not exist in an enterprise having a unitary assembly plant or aircraft factory.

To cope with these problems, Airbus came up with a novel solution and built the Beluga cargo plane. If the A380 can be described as mammoth, the Beluga is a different species altogether and has been dubbed ‘the flying whale’ capable of ‘swallowing’ entire fuselage sections in its gaping hold. There is no guarantee of visitors seeing a Beluga on a visit to Airbus at Saint Nazaire, but if one happens to be around, it is an unforgettable site. Some sections of aircraft may be too large even for the Beluga to cope with and occasionally these will be transported by sea from Saint Nazaire for final assembly elsewhere.

Getting there: Tour buses for the Airbus factory leave from the submarine base at Saint Nazaire port. The nature of the tours of the Airbus factory varies according to any industrial activity taking place within the Airbus plant.

IMPORTANT: For security reasons, intending visitors must book in advance (telephone 0810888444) at least 10 days before an intended visit and indicate name, date and place of birth, nationality and address of each visitor. The advance booking period is reduced to 48 hours for EU citizens. At the time of the visit, visitors will be required to show ID in the form of their official ID card or passport.

Admission Prices:  0-4 years – free; € 8 from 4 - 17 years; € 12.50 from 18 & upwards. Reduction for family ticket (2 adults + 2 children); special rates for students, unemployed etc.  €10.

When: Usually on Wednesdays and Fridays; additional visits during the school holidays.

Duration: Allow at least 2 hours for transport and visit

For all visits: Photography and filming strictly prohibited. Animals are not accepted. Pushchairs and buggies not recommended.

Like this article? Why not use our RSS feed and receive updates as soon as they are posted? Or join us as a member and receive a monthly newsletter.

Check out Guide2Paysdelaloire for Property in Pays de la Loire, Events, News, Classifieds, Places to Stay, Pays de la Loire Attractions and Business Directory.