Discovery Channel - World's Biggest Airliner The Airbus A380 (2005) Part 1 The Race to Build

It's the most ambitious project ever in civil aviation – building the world's biggest airliner. In 2006, the 240-foot triple-decker Airbus A380 is due to enter into commercial service carrying more than 550 passengers distances of over 8,000 nautical miles. The most progressive aircraft idea in history was introduced in 2000 as the new alternative to Boeing's 747. When completed, the Airbus A380 will be able to ferry more passengers over a longer distance than any other airliner in existence. Constructing a plane on this unprecedented scale poses huge challenges, particularly when constricted by tight deadlines and especially because Airbus's main production plants are spread across France, Spain, Germany and the UK. Each component is so big that new factories have to be built before work can begin on the plane. The gigantic wings are just one of the components that must make a huge and difficult journey to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, from the factory in north Wales. The enormous fuselage travels from Hamburg. Each journey is a nightmare, by barge on unpredictable rivers, by sea, and finally by road, squeezing through the tiny village of Levignac with inches to spare before reaching the final assembly line. The series provides an incredible insight into the unique challenges of building an airliner on this unprecedented scale, before its grand unveiling in front of thousands, and its awe-inspiring maiden voyage in the hands of Airbus's test pilots.

Part 1: The Race to Build

The Airbus A380 pushes the boundaries of flight – it is bigger, heavier and more advanced than any airliner that has ever flown before. The first episode of this amazing challenge follows the people behind the race to build the enormous wings, fuselages and other oversize parts for the new machine. Tens of thousands of people are involved. From giant factories in the UK, Germany, France and Spain, each vast component must make an incredible journey over thousands of miles. They must travel by road, river and sea to the final assembly line in Toulouse, where the parts will be assembled. There is no margin for error in this ambitious plan.

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