Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit

Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit

Company type	Transport corridor
Industry	Transportation, Aerospace logistics
Headquarters	Toulouse , France
Area served	France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
Products	Transport of Airbus A380 oversized structural elements

The Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit is a dedicated transport corridor, combining waterways and roadways, established to move oversized structural elements of the Airbus A380 from their production locations to the assembly plant in Toulouse. This corridor required extensive upgrades to existing infrastructure and the addition of new segments. Specialized vessels, barges, and transport vehicles are utilized because standard transportation means cannot accommodate these large components. During transit, the parts remain secured without direct handling.

Key fuselage components are fabricated in northern France, Germany, and Spain, while wing assemblies come from the United Kingdom. Given their dimensions, most pieces are conveyed along the Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit route; smaller parts are transported by air using the A300-600ST Beluga aircraft, which also serves other Airbus models.

By ship to Bordeaux

The first segment of the journey involves three Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) vessels: Ville de Bordeaux (2004), City of Hamburg (2008), and Ciudad de Cadiz (2009). These ships, operated by Fret Cetam SA—a partnership between Höegh Autoliners and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs—are chartered by Airbus.

Front and rear fuselage sections are loaded in Hamburg, after which the ship sails to Mostyn, UK. Wings produced at Filton (Bristol) and Broughton (North Wales) are transported via barge along the River Dee to Mostyn docks for integration. In January 2013, the Ciudad de Cadiz ran aground near Mostyn amid strong winds but was later refloated following a delay.

The vessel then docks at Saint-Nazaire in western France to exchange smaller fuselage parts from Hamburg for larger assembled sections such as nose cones. Subsequently, it proceeds to Pauillac, the port serving Bordeaux, where cargo is unloaded.

Following this, the ship travels to Cádiz, southern Spain, to pick up belly and tail sections from Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA before returning to Pauillac.

By barge to Langon

From Pauillac, A380 components continue their journey by barge navigating through central Bordeaux along the River Garonne until reaching Langon, where a specialized dock is available for unloading.

These barges feature adjustable ballast tanks that regulate water displacement and air draught according to varying conditions. Certain segments must be moved during high tide to ensure keel clearance beneath bridges, while passage under the Pont de pierre is scheduled at low tide to secure adequate overhead space.

Although the Canal de Garonne allows barge navigation toward Toulouse, its limited vertical clearance prevents A380 parts from passing through; therefore, road transport completes the final segment of delivery.

By road convoy to Toulouse

Starting from Langon, oversized road convoys transport components along a southern, indirect path to Toulouse. This route is designed to bypass over-bridges, necessitating alterations to junctions and the development of new roads, some of which are dedicated solely to convoy use. These convoys primarily operate during nighttime hours, pausing in secure parking facilities throughout the day.

The journey follows the N524, N124, and N224 highways, passing through the following locations:

• Langon
• Bazas
• Bernos-Beaulac
• Captieux
• Maillas
• Losse
• Gabarret
• Barbotan-les-Thermes
• Eauze
• Dému
• Vic-Fezensac
• Saint-Jean-Poutge
• Auch
• Aubiet
• Gimont
• L'Isle-Jourdain
• Ségoufielle
• Lévignac
• Cornebarrieu

This corridor is capable of accommodating loads measuring up to 14 meters in height, 8 meters in width, and 50 meters in length.