Airbus A380

An Airbus U.K. factory is located at Broughton, some 15 miles upstream from Mostyn on the river Dee. This factory manufactures wings for the Airbus range of aircraft which are exported to the final assembly facility at Toulouse in France using specially adapted aircraft.

The wings for the largest Airbus aircraft however, the 850-seater A380 airliner, are exceptional sized loads, each being almost 50m metres long and 14 metres wide and weighing 96ts on their jig. They are too large and heavy for air transport and are therefore exported by sea.

To handle these shipments, a purpose-built low aircraft river craft and dedicated terminals and berths have been constructed at the Port and at Broughton.  After discharge at Mostyn the wings are stored until they are loaded onto a sea-going Roll on–Roll off vessel.  They are then taken to Bordeaux where they are transferred to a river craft for passage up the river Gironde and delivery to the final assembly factory at Toulouse.