Discovery Channel - World's Biggest Airliner The Airbus A380 (2005) Part 2 Coming Together

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 2: Coming Together

The Airbus A380 has to be ready for its first flight in less than 12 months. It's a huge undertaking and, in Toulouse, France, where the massive fuselage sections and giant wings have just arrived, the pressure faced by the team is beginning to show. As the pieces are joined together like a giant jigsaw, dramatic tests are carried out on the Rolls Royce engines that will power the A380 and the landing gear that must support its enormous weight. Delays creep in, but the day for revealing the plane to the world is now set. The press is waiting. Heads of State, major airlines and 10,000 VIPs are just about to arrive in Toulouse. But will the A380 be ready?

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