Visit to Airbus UK, Broughton.

[theskyboy]

Hi All,

I'm taking a trip to North Wales at the end of the month and would like to visit the Airbus factory.

I can't find any information on-line, as to whether this is possible, so assuming not unless anyone else knows differently?

Cheers,

tsb

[AndoniP]

Check the taxiway.fr website. If they don't do tours of Broughton then I can recommend spending a day in Toulouse Blagnac, the Airbus facility there is awesome.

[one11]

Your assumption is correct. there are no public tours of Airbus, Broughton - unlike Hamburg & Toulouse.

[Evanelpus]

You would only see the wings at Chester anyway. Go to Toulouse or hamburg, you get to see the full monty.

[theskyboy]

Thanks for the input, would love to go to TLS/XFW and plan to do so, just thought I'd see if there was anything at Broughton as I'm heading up that way.

tsb:ok:

[betterfromabove]

Sorry, but the TLS tour is quite disappointing. A movie, some marketing spiel, and then 5mins looking at the A380 line from a viewing room (best bit). You get to drive outside the hangar a bit, but you mostly see aircraft only at a distance. They don't seem interested in showing you anything other than the A380.....and the Concorde on the other side of the field.

Believe there's a museum going to be built there, so this may improve the experience?

[AndoniP]

Betterfromabove

What you mention there doesn't make sense. I was on that a380 tour last month and it was very good. Extremely informative. The guide was knowledgeable about the whole manufacturing process, assembly, and finishing process. We saw no pr video, unless you thought that the video played in the foyer whilst waiting for the tour to begin was actually part of the tour. There was a short video at the beginning, showing the various cameras on the aircraft and how they're linked to the telemetry systems on the ground during prototype testing. The assembly hangar was impressive, and its understandable that you weren't allowed to see the other hangar where the fuselage and wings are joined.

The tour is done by coach. The site is so large that it can only be done by coach.

They take you to see the Concorde as it is part of Toulouse's history. The aircraft in that area will make up the museum and can be seen close up in the heritage tour. The A300 is interesting.

The site tour is all done by coach, but you get taken round the whole Airbus site. AMD its brilliant. You see loads of brand new A330s, A320s, the last new A340s, the Etihad blast wall, the odd Beluga, the odd A320 having an engine test, the odd A320 having a flight test. The whole place is awesome.

Just my 2p

[Old Photo.Fanatic]

The tour at TLS sounds good.
What is the policy about taking photographs, especially aound the airfield?
Are there any good opportunities?

OPF

[AndoniP]

you can't take photos on the a380 tour, they don't want photos taken in the assembly building.

apart from that you're allowed to take as many photos as you want during the other heritage and panoramic tours. as you're not allowed out of the coach on the panoramic tour you have to take photos from inside it whilst it's going around the site, but you can get decent shots. runway side it's not that great on any tour, but when you're waiting in departures at the airport you can take excellent landing and takeoff shots and can also see the testing going on on the far side of the field, it's clearly visible.

we planned it so that we did all 3 english tours in one day, with an easyJet flight out of gatwick first thing, and returning in the evening.

[Azman]

Hi, I am really interested in doing a day trip here. I have tried looking on the taxiway.fr website and cannot find what i am looking for, its probably me not looking in the right place.

Once you arrive at Toloulouse how did you get to the Airbus Factory?

Thanks

Az

[AndoniP]

Az

Get a cab. It'll cost €20. Or the walk is around half an hour but you have to traverse busy motorways so wouldn't recommend it.

A

[betterfromabove]

Maybe the TLS tour has improved since I went a couple of years back. We certainly didn't see anything much of Airbus products in the flesh apart from the A380 hall and Concorde. I also thought that we were going to see the main production line and some a/c on the line outside, but didn't happen.

[AndoniP]

There were about 7 or 8 nearly complete A380s sitting around waiting for testing and completion of little bits, before being flown to hamburg for interior fitting. thai, korean, emirates (3 or 4), the private arab one etc. were all there. you won't be able to see the main assembly as it's off-limits, only the completion hangars, but there are still people clamouring all over them fitting stuff, just not the main fuselage and wings together.

as i said before, if you're going to go all that way do the other 2 tours as well. the heritage tour shows you round the old aircraft they have there and the panoramic tour drives you around the whole facility, where you see tons of aircraft outside nigh-on complete and some ready for testing.

And of course you get to see F-WTSB and go inside F-BVFC - very interesting to see how Air France kept their Concordes looking old school inside.

[Azman]

Thats brilliant, thanks A