Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the Airbus A 380 assembly line facility soon after arriving in Toulouse.
Toulouse is the home as well for the Airbus' A380 final assembly line - a massive facility that provides a space of 150,000 square metres for the flagship double-deck jetliner.
The A380 assembly process takes place on a single combined station (a section of the assembly line dedicated to performing a specific task) where all operations except for engine installation are carried out. Representing over one third of an aircraft's value, engines are among the last components to be fitted to the A380 in order to reduce inventory cost.
When all sections have been positioned, a tool jig - an enormous scaffold - surrounds the aircraft for the assembly process: junction of the three fuselage sections, the wings, the horizontal and vertical stabilisers, engine pylons, landing gear and electric racks.
The aircraft is entirely assembled at this first station, apart from the engines which will be installed at the second work station, known as Station 30. Once assembly is complete, the aircraft is towed outside of the hall and back into one of the three modular stations to undergo a series of general tests.
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A series of general tests are carried out at three identical "Station 30s": electric and hydraulic systems; onboard computer; mobile parts; and landing gear. Fuel tanks are also tested for leaks; finally, the A380's four engines are put in place. Airbus offers customers a choice of two engine types. The aircraft is towed to the south of the Lagardere assembly hall for engine testing at the run-up facility. Then it performs its first test flight.
Airbus' initial final assembly line was established in Toulouse, France, for the A300/A310 - the two pioneering wide-body aircraft that established the company as a world-class supplier of commercial jetliners.
In addition to hosting the company's headquarters, this southern French city was home to a readily available, skilled aerospace workforce.
Production flexibility designed into the final assembly line from its inception enabled Airbus to build on the success of the A300 version by using the same assembly jigs and tooling to build the shorter-fuselage, longer-range A310. It enabled slots on the same assembly line to be assigned to either the A300 or A310, depending on market demand.
This built-in flexibility became the foundation for Airbus' approach of developing families of aircraft that incorporate significant commonality and can be built on a common assembly line.
A320 Family jetliners are produced at three Airbus final assembly lines: Toulouse, Hamburg and Tianjin.
Market proximity was an important element as well in Airbus' decision to create an A320 Family final assembly line in the United States - to be located in Mobile, Alabama, with first deliveries planned in 2016.
A320 Family production across the final assembly lines is assigned as follows: Toulouse builds A320s; Hamburg has responsibility for the A318, A319, A320 and A321; Tianjin assembles A319s and A320s; and the new U.S. facility will produce A319s, A320s and A321s.
All of the final assembly lines are organized in a similar manner by stations, each performing a specific task in the aircraft's assembly and systems testing. A320 fuselages arrive at the line in two segments, which are joined to begin the aircraft build-up sequence.
The completed, joined fuselage is lifted into a position where the two wings are mated and engine pylons and landing gear fitted.
The A320 Family jetliners then move to a multi-purpose bay for system tests, and the aircraft is readied for cabin installation. This clears the way for the final operations: engine installation, fuel and pressurization tests, painting, engine run-up and flight testing, followed by aircraft acceptance and delivery.
Airbus applied its experience with the A300/A310 and A320 to create a technically advanced, streamlined final assembly line for the A330/A340 long-range family of aircraft, located in a purpose-built facility in Toulouse. Only two final assembly jigs were needed to build up either the twin-engine A330 or the four-engine A340 - with sustained A330 assembly continuing after the A340's production phase-out.
The A330/A340 FAL also is built around the 'station' principal. At Station 40, the aircraft's outer wings are joined to the centre fuselage and wing. This activity is highly automated, using eight robots that are situated on either side of the fuselage and above/below the wing. At Station 35, the jetliner's three fuselage sections are riveted together, along with installation of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, landing gear with wheels, and engine pylons. This process is assisted by four robots which move around the fuselage on orbital railways.
The aircraft are then transferred on their own wheels to a large area called Station 30, where four long-range jetliners can be accommodated simultaneously. This is where systems are connected and tested, with ground mechanics conducting some 85 system validations. The mechanics go from aircraft to aircraft in Station 30, rather than having the aircraft move to different positions.
Next, completed A330s are moved outside the final assembly hanger for fuel and pressurization systems testing. The aircraft's engines are then installed and its cabin is fitted before painting, engine run-up and flight testing, all of which precede aircraft acceptance and delivery.
Prime Minister Modi will discuss ways of further cooperation, including in transfer of technology and investments.
While there, he will also visit the French space centre CNES or the National Centre for Space Studies, where the two sides will examine further cooperation in the area of space.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to pay homage to thousands of Indian soldiers killed during World War-I at a memorial in the nearby French city of Lille.
On returning to Paris, Modi will attend a reception organized by the Indian community and also call on former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
A visit to a trade fair is also scheduled before he concludes his three-day visit to France and heads for Germany on the second leg of his three-nation nine-day foreign tour.
On Friday, Prime Minister Modi and French President Francois Hollande met at the Elysee Palace here and discussed issues of mutual interest. This was followed by delegation-level talks between India and France and the issue of a joint statement that listed the signing of over 17 agreements, including one for the direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition, and another for facilitating the early conclusion of techno-commercial talks on the Jaitapur nuclear power plant.
Both sides inked 17 agreements, including in the fields of civil nuclear energy, railways and space, and three Letters of Intent.
Modi also went on a boat ride on the Seine River with Hollande and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius after the talks.
He also addressed a meeting of the UNESCO and met with CEOs in two back-to-back sessions that focused on his pet 'Make in India' initiative.
At the UNESCO headquarters, he spoke of his government's commitment to ensure that every citizen, faith, culture and creed has an equal place in society.
