Although Airbus no longer makes the A380, its legacy lives on. Some carriers still fly the world’s largest aircraft (see our sidebar), while the planemaker’s infrastructure will be used for a less polluting mode of transport.
North-west of Toulouse, Airbus operated a very wide runway (IGG) along which exceptional convoys passed carrying A380 parts before being assembled in the legendary Blagnac factory.
This gigantic 6.5-kilometre concrete runway has not been used since 2022, when the aircraft manufacturer suspended production of the aircraft. It will soon be transformed into a cycle path.
A budget of 600,000 euros
Great news for two-wheel enthusiasts, as this trail runs along the Bouconne forest and will therefore be more accessible from 17 September.
As Actu Toulouse points out, the project led by the Haute-Garonne departmental council will cost 600,000 euros, mainly to install facilities.
Above all, this route will be part of a larger network (Express Vélo) “which will ultimately connect Mérenvielle to Escalquens”, specifies the departmental council.
“We are creating a real network of safe cycle paths between the outlying municipalities and the metropolis of Toulouse, where most of the traffic jams are concentrated and where the modal shift could be greater,” says Sébastien Vincini, president of the Haute-Garonne Departmental Council.
In total, the latter will invest 28 million euros to implement 24.1 kilometres of cycle lanes during the period 2024-2025.
The A380 is still in the air
Highly demanding to operate, expensive to maintain, difficult to fill and unprofitable, the aircraft has been abandoned by most of the world’s major airlines.
But not from Emirates. Because the company – through its customer base, its positioning and the interconnection links it offers – can turn it into a completely profitable device from Dubai. The company still has 119 in its fleet.
Source: BFM TV
