Singapore Airlines today has received its first A380 at the occasion of a dedicated delivery ceremony in Toulouse. On board the new double-decker wide-body plane are various components and systems on the fuselage, wings, engines and in the passenger cabin that FACC AG has developed in cooperation with various EADS partner companies and is now manufacturing using advanced composite technology. The flagship of the 21st century will take-off for Singapore's Changi International Airport within a couple of days. On 25/26 October the first commercial flight between Singapore und Sydney will take place. It serves a charitable purpose. The A380 will commence official airline-service on 28 October between both large cities.

High Tech from FACC for the Airbus A380

The new trend-setting wide-body aircraft A380 is of great significance for the leading Austrian aviation supplier, FACC. The company has successfully established itself at EADS as a development partner and tier-1 supplier and has been involved in the new Airbus program since the conception of the program. FACC is working on the A380 aircraft program with altogether eight different customers from five different customer consortia on 10 detail projects. The individual assembly groups are delivered by FACC to the EADS partner companies in Germany, England, France, Japan, Canada and the USA. For one A380, FACC supplies light and high-strength composite components and systems at a value of around $1.5 million.

Component Customer

Overhead Stowage Compartments Airbus

Flap Track Fairings Airbus

Flap Rips Airbus

Composite Components for Trent 900 Rolls-Royce, UK

APU Inlet Plenum Pratt & Whitney, Canada

Engine Components for GP7200 Pratt & Whitney, USA

Cargo Compartment Door Lining Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan

Cross Beam Floor Struts JAMCO, Japan

Inner Outer Barrel Airbus

Bathtub Panels EADS Military Air Systems, Germany

Serial Production Has Begun

FACC has successfully completed a development phase for the Airbus A380 that has lasted several years and has begun serial production of the individual components. By the first quarter of 2008, the production rate will have reached two complete shipsets per month. By the year 2010, the monthly production rate can be raised to four shipsets, depending on customer requirements and the rate of sales. In the next twenty years, an average of 200 employees at FACC will be working on the A380 program.