Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The ''Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit'' is a water and road route that has been created in order to allow the transport of the outsize structural sections of the Airbus A380 airliner from their point of manufacture to
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
for final assembly. The route was largely created by modifying existing waterways and public roads, with the addition of some new road sections. Specially constructed ships, barges and road vehicles carry the aircraft parts on the route, as traditional transportation methods proved unfeasible. The parts are not handled directly.Morales, Jesus
"The A380 Transport Project and Logistics – Assessment of alternatives"
p19 ''
Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
'', 18 January 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
Major sections of the fuselage of the A380 are built in northern France,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, whilst the wings are built in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Due to the size of the A380, most of these parts are moved on the surface through the ''Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit'', although some smaller parts are carried by the A300-600ST ''Beluga'' aircraft used in the construction of other, smaller, Airbus models.


By ship to Bordeaux

The first stage of the route uses a fleet of three
Roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
(RORO) ships; the ''
Ville de Bordeaux The ''Ville de Bordeaux'' is a ship carrier designed to transport the elements of the Airbus A380. A380 production The origin of Airbus as a European holding company for a series of country-based existing aerospace manufacturers resulted in a g ...
'' (2004), the '' City of Hamburg'' (2008) and the '' Ciudad de Cadiz'' (2009). These ships are controlled by ''Fret Cetam SA'', a joint venture between shipping companies Höegh Autoliners and
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...
, and leased to
Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
. The front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded aboard one of the fleet in
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
in northern Germany, after which the ship travels to
Mostyn Mostyn is a village and community in Flintshire, Wales, and electoral ward lying on the estuary of the River Dee, located near the town of Holywell. It has a privately owned port that has in the past had a colliery and ironworks and was invo ...
in the United Kingdom. The wings, which are manufactured at
Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...
in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and Broughton in North Wales, are transported by
barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
on the River Dee to Mostyn docks, where the ship adds them to its cargo. The Ciudad de Cadiz went aground without cargo on sandbanks outside Mostyn in January 2013, when its moorings burst during high winds. The next stop is
Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...
, in western France, where the ship trades the fuselage sections from Hamburg for larger, assembled sections, some of which include the nose. The ship then proceeds to
Pauillac Pauillac (; oc, Paulhac) is a municipality in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The city is mid-way between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, along the Gironde, the largest estuary in western Europe. Populati ...
, the port of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, where it unloads. The ship then proceeds to
Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
in southern Spain, where it picks up the belly and tail sections manufactured by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA, and delivers them to Pauillac.


By barge to Langon

From Pauillac, the A380 parts are transported by
barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
through the centre of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
on the River Garonne. The barges carry the parts to Langon, where a special dock has been built to permit the offloading of the barges. New barges were developed to carry A380 parts. These incorporate ballast tanks, to enable the barges to adjust their water and air draughts to the prevailing conditions. Certain parts of the route must be undertaken at
high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...
in order to provide sufficient water under the
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
, whilst the passage under the Pont de pierre in Bordeaux is undertaken at low tide to provide sufficient headroom. The Canal de Garonne allows barges to go to Toulouse but has insufficient headroom for A380 parts, requiring parts to travel by road on the final leg of their journey.


By road convoy to Toulouse

From Langon the parts are taken by oversize road convoys over a southerly, and indirect, route to
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. The route was largely determined by the need to avoid any over-bridges. Many adjustments were necessary to junction and other layouts to allow the convoys to pass. In places new roads were constructed, some of which are reserved for the use of the convoys. Convoys travel mostly at night, laying over during the day at specially constructed secure parking areas. The route passes through or past the following places: * Langon *
Bazas Bazas (; oc-gsc, Vasats) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. Geography Bazas stands on a narrow promontory above the Beuve valley 60 km/37 mi southeast of Bordeaux and 40 km/25 mi southwest of ...
* Bernos-Beaulac *
Captieux Captieux (; oc, Capsiuts) is a commune of Southwestern France, located in the Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine). It lies near the border with the Landes and the Lot-et-Garonne departments. The commune is in the ...
* Maillas * Losse * Gabarret *
Barbotan-les-Thermes Barbotan-les-Thermes is a spa in the Gers department of south-western France. Barbotan forms part of the ''commune'' of Cazaubon, and the town of Cazaubon is some to the south-west. Barbotan lies on the ''Route nationale'' 524 (N524). It is ...
*
Eauze Eauze (; Gascon: ''Eusa'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. History Located in the heart of south-west France, 130 kilometers from the Spanish border, Eauze is originally a proto-Basque city that became Roman. It wa ...
*
Dému Dému (; oc, Demú) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. Geography Population Literature Dému features as a main setting in the Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri ...
*
Vic-Fezensac Vic-Fezensac (; Gascon: ''Vic en Fesensac''; Occitan: ''Vic de Fesensac'') is a commune in the Gers department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. In 2017, it had a population of 3,474. Geography Localisation Vic-Fezensa ...
* Saint-Jean-Poutge * Auch * Aubiet *
Gimont Gimont (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department in southwestern France. It is about west of Toulouse. It is the seat (capital) of the canton of Gimone-Arrats. Geography The commune is bordered by se ...
* L'Isle-Jourdain * Ségoufielle * Lévignac * Cornebarrieu The section to Toulouse is designed for transporting a package of a size up to 14 meters high, 8 meters wide and 50 meters long.


References


External links


Official web site of the ''Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit''
(in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Itineraire a Grand Gabarit Airbus A380 Gers Gironde Haute-Garonne Landes (department) Transport in Occitania (administrative region)