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General
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Toulouse-Blagnac is one of the mayor cities in the European aviation scene as it houses the main factory of Airbus Industries. At the Toulouse factory the A300, A320, A330 and A340 are being put together. Also the ATR42 and ATR72 are being build here. This guaranties that a visit to Blagnac is always good for a lot of brand new airframes. In the near future the production of the A320 is going to be transferred to Hamburg, as Airbus needs the space at Toulouse for the production of the European Super Jumbo, the A380.
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Layout
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Terminal Area
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From inside the terminal you have a good view of the apron in front of the terminal, the cargo ramp to the east and the Airbus factory opposite the runway. In front of the restaurant at the second floor is a nice inside viewing area. Photography is possible in the morning, but restricted to the taxiway in front of the terminal. At the east side of the terminal, you can walk towards the second spot.
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Cargo & Charter Terminal
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This spot is at the old terminal, which is now in use as a charter and bizjet terminal. At both sides you can overlook the apron in front of the terminal and the cargo apron to the right of it.
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General Aviation
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If you continue along the road at the back of the hangars, you can see the aircraft parked there. At the very end of this road is a crash gate with good views over the landing of runway 33R and also the Airbus factory. Next to the gate is a stored Noratlas parked for quite some years now. At the opposite side of the runway, another line-up of stored aircraft can be seen, two Caravelles and a Boeing 737-200 of the later Air Toulouse.
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Around The Airport
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Runways 33
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If you park your car somewhere at the industrial estate, you can walk along the road back to the landing of the runways 33R and 33L. From here you can take good landing shots as you can stand on either side of the approach. You also have another view of the General Aviation and Cargo ramps from here.
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Airbus
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Of course, the main object of a visit to Toulouse is the Airbus factory. Along the perimeter, there are numerous spots to read off the parked aircraft, but photography is not possible (and, in fact, not allowed). At some places you can enter the parking lots to get a better view, but don't stay there too long as you will get kicked off by the security. At weekdays and Saturday guided tours are held, they take you along the flightline and into the main assembly hall of the A330/A340. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures, but it is an excellent opportunity to see all of the aircraft parked outside. As these tours are very in demand, you have to make an appointment for a selected tour prior to your visit.
For details and reservations, you can contact the agency which organise these tours:
Taxiway :
Tél : 05 61 18 06 01
Fax : 05 62 74 08 68
10 av. Georges Guynemer
31770 - COLOMIERS
Also on the Airbus grounds is the excellent museum of Ailes Anciennes. You can visit this museum at Saturday morning only, you have to go to the Airbus entrance gate 'Louis Breguet' were you get a batch and an escort to the museum. For more info about the museum: phone (33) 05 61 21 70 01 or fax : (33) 05 61 86 86 26, or visit their website (click on the link at the more info section of this page).
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Runway 15R
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An excellent spot is at the landing of runway 15R. At the industrial estate a dead end streets gives you a perfect place to take landing shots. As runway 15R is mostly used, both by the normal traffic and the Airbus test flights, this is the preferred spot, especially in the afternoon.
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Runway 15L
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At the opposite side, you can stand near a crash gate next to the taxiway to runway 15L. Good for pictures in the morning.
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Getting There
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A bus service runs from the city to the main terminal. But to see most of the Airbus planes a car is recommended and actually not that expensive to rent in the terminal.
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Based
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A300
A300ST
A320
A330
A340
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B737-300
B767
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Neighbourhood Airports
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Toulouse-Francazal
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A transport base at the south side of the city |
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Toulouse-Montaudran
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An Air France maintenance and training base east of the city |
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Toulouse-Lasbordes
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A light airfield near Montaudran at the east side of the city |
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More Info
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Toulouse Airport
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The official site of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport |
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Ailes Anciennes
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The site of the museum |
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Preserved
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F-BTOE
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This unmarked Caravelle is preserved at the Airbus factory in Aérospatiale colours
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F-WTSB
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One of the French Concorde prototypes is also preserved at the Airbus factory
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Various
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The large collection of Ailes Anciennes Toulouse is located on the Airbus side and only accessible on saturday morning
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Frequencies
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121.19
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Ground
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181.25
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Info
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121.7
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Delivery
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118.1
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Tower
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121.1
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Approach
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125.175
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Approach
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129.3
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Approach
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118.025
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ATIS
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Send Updates !
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