Article by Jacques Rocca
Toulouse, France, 7 February 2017 — As part of its contribution to preserving European aviation heritage, Airbus will be transferring four of its test aircraft to museums: the Museum of Air and Space in Paris-Le Bourget and Aeroscopia in Toulouse.
These aircraft comprise: A320 Main Serial Number 1, recently withdrawn from the test aircraft fleet; A340-600 MSN360; A380 MSN2 and A380 MSN4. These aircraft will benefit from heritage preservation measures and will soon be presented to the public.
The first aircraft to be transferred will be the huge A380 MSN4, which will arrive in Le Bourget on 14th February. The other three aircraft maintained by Airbus Heritage in Toulouse, within the Airbus plant, will travel to Aeroscopia in Toulouse within the next two years, when an area in the northern part of the museum has been made ready for them. All these aircraft cover more than 30 years of flight tests and commercial success for the Airbus brand.
Following the arrival of A380 MSN4 in Le Bourget and in preparation for its display at the museum there – one of the largest aviation museums worldwide – the iconic test aircraft will undergo a unique refurbishment to showcase its operational role. Once an initial phase of technical work has been carried out on the airframe – which will include structural preservation – a special exhibit will also be created inside the aircraft’s interior to enable the greatest possible number of people to visit it from 2018 to experience the success of Airbus. <>
