The last Airbus A380 has just been assembled at station 40 of the Lagardère factory on September 23, 2020. -

JV.

REYMONDON / Airbus

  • In 2000, the A380 program was launched.

    Twenty years later, the last copy of the Airbus super jumbo leaves the Blagnac assembly plant.

  • The latter is expected to be delivered to Emirates, the program's biggest customer, next year.

  • The future of the chain, which was to be transformed for the A321, is for the moment on stand-by because of the Covid-19 crisis and its impact on air traffic.

A page has turned at Airbus, that of the period when we thought of making XXL planes to transport more than 500 passengers at one time.

This week, the adventure of the A380 took a turn, after the announcement last year of the end of its production.

Moment to remember: the rollout of the last #Airbus # A380 from Station 40 with the A380 Team past and present, @GuillaumeFaury and Philippe Mhun at the Lagardère FAL today in Toulouse.

What an aircraft!

# iflyA380 #avgeek #Teamwork #Innovation pic.twitter.com/ch2mVG9Bcg

- Julie Kitcher (@julie_kitcher) September 23, 2020

On Wednesday, the very last copy of the Airbus super-jumbo was assembled in station 40 of the Lagardère factory, in Blagnac, where on January 1, 2005, ahead of Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair or even Gerhard Schröder, the first This copy was unveiled with great fanfare.

Since then, the assembly line has produced 251 marketed units, nine of which have yet to be delivered.

This copy, like seven others, is intended for the Emirates company, the largest customer of this program, which should take possession of it next year.

The last one!

😭Initial assembly of msn 272, the last #Airbus # A380 is completed, it was transferred from station 40 to station 35 this morning.

🇦🇪 #AvGeek #Toulouse pic.twitter.com/wvKDqKyLil

- Aviation Toulouse (@Frenchpainter) September 23, 2020

In the meantime, the MSN 272, the nickname of this last copy, will have to receive its engines and carry out all tests, whether hydraulic, fuel gauge or pressurization, specifies a spokesperson for the European aircraft manufacturer .

The reconversion of post 40 suspended

Now empty, substation 40 was to be transformed into an additional assembly line for the A321.

But since the coronavirus crisis has passed and the project is on standby, the production of planes on the chains already in service idling.

An investment to adapt the assembly line of the Lagardère factory that Airbus should not make anytime soon, the resumption of air traffic is still not at the rendezvous and the airlines are far from rushing to come and take delivery of their devices.

As for the companions who worked on the A380, they have in recent months been redeployed to other programs, in particular the A350.

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  • Plane

  • Coronavirus

  • Aeronautics

  • A380

  • Airbus

  • Toulouse

  • Economy