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Short holiday to Northern Spain and Southern France & Airbus A380 Factory tour 30 Aug - 4 Sept  Geoff Hyde

A thirst for the sun led to a short family trip to Northern Spain and Southern France. It would have been rude not to combine a holiday with some spotting and so a tour of the A380 production line at Toulouse was included. The trip was planned from Barcelona over the Pyrenees (terrific views) to Toulouse and then back to Barcelona. Departure was Saturday 30 August from Leeds/Bradford on Jet2 Boeing 737 G-CELF

Leeds/Bradford  30 August 2008

Barcelona was reached at 17.00. The car was collected and the overnight hotel located. Taxi-ing in provided the following

Barcelona  30 August 2008

Sunday through to Tuesday evening was spent travelling northwards to Toulouse. However, the light fields at Sabadell (Barcelona), Alp and Luchon were visited but with limited success due mainly to time constraints and security fences at Sabedlla.

Sabedlla  31 August 2008

ALP  31 August 2008

LUCHON   2 September 2008

Toulouse  3 September 2008

Wednesday morning allowed some time to view some of the A320,A330 and A340 outside but since my last visit there has been considerable new buildings and alterations to the roads that it has become difficult to locate some of the airframes and confirm registrations. After the tour the heat haze prevented further attempts and a visit to the main terminal was abandoned due to the fact that we had to drive back to Barcelona that afternoon.

The A330 and A340 tours are no longer. So it was left to take the A380 tour. From the outset I would say that its not a “spotters tour”. It lasts for 1 hour 45 minutes and only about the last 20 minutes is spent actually looking at a A380 on the production line. The tour costs 14 Euros and I was on one of the English speaking tours.

After arrival at the tour car park you book in and proceed to the obligatory shop.

The tour starts in a room which contains a mock up of one of the test flight telemetry stations. A commentary is given along with video shots of the first flight. This takes about 30 minutes. Onto the coach to be driven to one end of the A380 complex and then back to the other end, which you do anyway by car to get to the tour centre. Excitement mounts as you now proceed through the security gates to park outside a production hangar – there are in fact two. Into the hangar, but before they let you loose to see the production line there is a further explanation of where the bits are produced and how they all get to Toulouse to be joined up. At last, into a lift and up to the viewing gantry to look at three A380’s on the line. That’s it.  Back on the coach to return to the tour centre.

There are more hangars which contain A380’s but you at not let loose near them. There maybe one or two parked in front.

To sum up the tour I would say for 14 euros you will see three on the line and a couple more parked outside, which can be seen from the public road but maybe arse on so you may not  be able to get the reg. From the viewing gallery take a good pair of bins or scope and you can read off some of the ATR’s.

After the tour it was back to Barcelona via Carcassone and Perpignan where the following were seen.

Carcassone – 3 September 2008

Perpignon – 3 September 2008

Thursday 4 September was departure day from Barcelona and after check-in the following were seen

Barcelona  4 September 2008

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