Hamburg joins London as the world’s only locations with two airports where the Airbus A380 can be seen regularly. With one of the two daily Emirates flights between Helmut Schmidt Airport in Hamburg and Dubai becoming an A380 service, the world’s largest airliner is now regularly coming “back home”.
A large share of the global A380 fleet, including all 105that have been delivered to Emirates so far, have been delivered to customers from the Airbus site in Finkenwerder, Hamburg. The company’s decision in 2000 to make the city an A380 production site is seen as a significant milestone, boosting and announcing Hamburg’s ascent to the ranks of the world’s leading aviation locations.
With a maximal possible configuration of 853 seats, the Airbus A380 is the largest production airliner in the history of flight. For its daily A380 service between Hamburg and Dubai, Ermirates is using a three-class configuration with 516 seats, including 14 First Class suites and 76 Business Class flatbed seats. The cabin was completely installed at the Airbus factory in Finkenwerder, Hamburg, and before handover the aircraft was subject to a functional test lasting several hours in the skies over northern Germany.
Hamburg, the A380 site: Overview at www.hamburg-aviation.com
Large sections of the fuselage are produced at the Airbus site in Finkenwerder, and the paintwork and cabin fitting for all Airbus A380 aircraft is carried out here. The vertical stabiliser for the A380 is produced at the Airbus factory in nearby Stade. Numerous suppliers from the Hamburg Metropolitan Region are also involved in the construction of the super-jumbo, including Diehl Aviation, providing equipment such as the internationally acclaimed shower cabin for the Emirates A380 First Class, VINCORION, providing an elevator for cabin trolleys, and Innovint, providing baby bassinets, magazine racks and other items.
Hamburg becomes the world’s 61st A380 destination
Hamburg is the 61st city worldwide to be served with a scheduled A380 service. The most important A380 destinations include Dubai, London and Los Angeles. In order to handle the huge Airbus on a daily basis, Hamburg’s Helmut Schmidt Airport made a long-term investment in its ground handling infrastructure, including 750,000 euros for a third jet bridge to provide a direct link to the A380 upper deck.
“Hamburg is the third-largest city worldwide in the civil aviation sector. Over 300 companies with a total of more than 40,000 employees are active in this industry in Hamburg. The German Aerospace Center DLR and the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research give the city a leading role in Europe in the development of innovative aerospace technology. As an international commercial center and ‘Gateway to the World’, we place great importance on efficient, effective and reliable air transport,” says Hamburg’s First Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher. “The Airbus factory in Finkenwerder is involved in the final assembly of the A380. And now this largest Airbus airliner is taking off and landing at Hamburg Airport Helmut Schmidt every day.”
“For Hamburg, the A380 program represented the beginning of a new age. The choice of our region set the stage for many subsequent milestones in the development of this aviation center, such as becoming the largest production site for the Airbus A320 series and the construction of the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research,” says Dr Franz Josef Kirschfink, Managing Director of the Hamburg Aviation cluster. “We are thrilled that the A380 is now “coming home” on a daily basis, flying to Hamburg Airport, another key stakeholder here.”
More than 15,000 new aviation jobs in Hamburg since launch of A380 programme
The number of jobs in the aviation industry within the metropolitan region has climbed from 26,000 to more than 40,000 since the A380 programme was launched in the year 2000. Today, Hamburg is one of the three largest sites in the global civilian aviation industry. Whilst the A380 as flagship continues to be the “poster child” for the Airbus site, the greatest economic significance now lies with the A320 range. Final assembly takes place here on the banks of the Elbe for 50% of worldwide deliveries of this globally popular short and medium-haul airliner. The latest addition to the range is the A321LR, targeted at low-frequency long-haul routes. The region’s focus is on aircraft manufacturing, aircraft cabin development and the maintenance, overhaul and modification business.
