Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit
Encyclopedia
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
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.
Major sections of the fuselage of the A380 are built in northern France, Germany
and Spain
, whilst the wings are built in the United Kingdom
. 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.
(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, and leased to Airbus
.
The front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded on one of the fleet in Hamburg
in northern Germany, from where they are shipped to the United Kingdom. The wings, which are manufactured at Filton
in Bristol
and Broughton
in North Wales, are transported by barge
on the River Dee to Mostyn
docks, where the ship adds them to its cargo.
The next stop is Saint-Nazaire
, 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
, the port of Bordeaux
, where it unloads.
The ship then proceeds to Cádiz
in southern Spain, where it picks up the belly and tail sections manufactured by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA
, and delivers them to Pauillac.
through the centre of Bordeaux
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 the A380 parts. These incorporate ballast tank
s, 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
in order to provide sufficient water under the keel
, whilst the passage under the Pont de pierre in Bordeaux is undertaken at low tide to provide sufficient headroom.
. 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:
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
from their point of manufacture to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
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.
Major sections of the fuselage of the A380 are built in northern France, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, whilst the wings are built in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. 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
Airbus Beluga
-External links:*...
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 (RORO) ships; the Ville de BordeauxVille 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 geographically diversified structure with plants in France,...
(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, and leased to Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
.
The front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded on one of the fleet in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in northern Germany, from where they are shipped to the United Kingdom. The wings, which are manufactured at Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Broughton
Broughton, Flintshire
Broughton is a small district in Flintshire, Wales, close to the Wales–England border and located to the west of the City of Chester, England. Along with the nearby village of Bretton, the total population was 5,791 at the 2001 Census....
in North Wales, are transported by barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
on the River Dee to Mostyn
Mostyn
Mostyn is a small village in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee, and located near the town of Holywell.Mostyn once served as a port from which ferries used to sail to Dublin on the Liverpool-Dublin route...
docks, where the ship adds them to its cargo.
The next stop is Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, 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
Pauillac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-Wine:The commune consists of only 3000 acres of vineyards in the Haut-Médoc between the villages of Saint-Julien to the south and Saint-Estèphe to the north, but is home to three of Bordeaux's five...
, the port of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, where it unloads.
The ship then proceeds to Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in southern Spain, where it picks up the belly and tail sections manufactured by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA
Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA
Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA , was a Spanish aircraft manufacturer. It became EADS CASA the Spanish branch of EADS in 1999, but was absorbed by Airbus Military in 2009...
, and delivers them to Pauillac.
By barge to Langon
From Pauillac, the A380 parts are transported by bargeBarge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
through the centre of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
on the River Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
. The barges carry the parts to Langon
Langon, Gironde
Langon is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Geography:Langon is in the southern part of the department southeast of Bordeaux on the left bank of the Garonne river...
, where a special dock has been built to permit the offloading of the barges.
New barges were developed to carry the A380 parts. These incorporate ballast tank
Ballast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
s, 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
High Tide
High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Peter Pavli and Roger Hadden .-History:...
in order to provide sufficient water under the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
, whilst the passage under the Pont de pierre in Bordeaux is undertaken at low tide to provide sufficient headroom.
By road convoy to Toulouse
From Langon the parts are taken by oversize road convoys over a southerly, and indirect, route to ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. 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
- BazasBazasBazas 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 Marmande.-History:...
- Bernos-BeaulacBernos-BeaulacBernos-Beaulac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.The principal settlement in the commune is the village of Beaulac, situated where the Route nationale 524 crosses the Ciron river....
- CaptieuxCaptieuxCaptieux is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It lies near the border with the Landes and the Lot-et-Garonne departments.The commune is in the east of the Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne....
- MaillasMaillasMaillas is a hamlet and commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It is situated on the Route nationale 524 ....
- LosseLosse, LandesLosse is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France....
- GabarretGabarretGabarret is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France....
- Barbotan-les-ThermesBarbotan-les-ThermesBarbotan-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...
- EauzeEauzeÉauze is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-History:Éauze takes its names from the Gaulish Aquitani tribe of the Elusates....
- DémuDémuDému is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-Media:Dému features as a main setting in the Michael Ondaatje novel Divisadero.-References:*...
- Vic-FezensacVic-FezensacVic-Fezensac is commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Geography:The Auzoue flows north through the western part of the commune and forms most of its north-western border....
- Saint-Jean-PoutgeSaint-Jean-PoutgeSaint-Jean-Poutge is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
- AuchAuchAuch is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.-The Ausci:...
- AubietAubietAubiet is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
- GimontGimontGimont is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. It is around 40 km west of Toulouse. It is twinned with Enniscorthy in Ireland.-Population:-References:*...
- L'Isle-JourdainL'Isle-Jourdain, GersL'Isle-Jourdain is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Lislois.-References:*...
- SégoufielleSégoufielleSégoufielle is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
- LévignacLévignacLévignac, also known as Lévignac-sur-Save, is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-Transportation:...
- CornebarrieuCornebarrieuCornebarrieu is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...