On the occasion of serial production start FACC AG today officially handed over a flap track fairing for an A330-200 to Airbus. The wing components made of composite materials were delivered to the facility in Bremen where the wings of the long-range planes A330 and A340 are assembled.

FACC celebrated the program milestone with a small ceremony at facility 3 in Ort im Innkreis, where the flap track fairings are being produced. FACC employees celebrated the start of serial production together with representatives of Airbus Germany.

"The signing of this contract to supply all future needed A330/A340 flap track fairings further establishes the successful partnership between Airbus and FACC," is how Robert Machtlinger, Vice President Structures of FACC AG, expresses his delight over the expansion of the cooperation with the long-time customer. "FACC can expand its position as a system supplier for Airbus for complex surface structures and once again successfully apply the acquired system expertise."

In September 2007, FACC signed a contract with Airbus for the production of the flap track fairings for Airbus models A330 and A340-200/-300, as well as the design and procurement of the tools required for production. The order volume will come to over $75m in the coming four years. The series production of the wing components was started after only 12 month development phase. After reaching the monthly rate of nine ship sets in March 2009, around 100 additional employees will be working on the project at FACC. Per wing, FACC produces four flap track fairings of different dimensions. The largest fairing is 6.88 m long, 0.52 m wide and 0.85 m high. The aerodynamic fairings contain numerous technical systems necessary for flight operations, whose integration FACC as a system integrator is responsible for. These include a cooling system (A380) for the hydraulic power unit and channels for emergency fuel draining lines.

In addition to supplying the A330 and A340 models, FACC also produces flap track fairings for the Airbus A380. The contract expands the cooperation with Airbus and enables FACC to implement their existing expertise acquired from the development and integration of the technologically complex system for the wide-body aircraft A380 in the A330/A340 program in an optimal way, and further expand their core competencies in the area of aerostructures.

Flap Track Fairings: A Core Competency of FACC

The development and production of flap track fairings are core competencies of FACC AG. As a development and production partner of Airbus, FACC has introduced different innovations, advanced materials and improved aerodynamics, which contribute towards reducing operating costs of the aircraft. The goal of FACC is to optimize the structure of this aerodynamic sophisticated wing component while simultaneously reducing weight and thus reducing air drag, noise, weight and fuel consumption. Through an optimal choice of materials in the component lay-up, the static and dynamic requirements are specifically fulfilled. Innovative sealing concepts and advanced paint systems allow for excellent surface properties and efficient aerodynamics. Along with an additional reduction in weight, newly designed mounting and adjusting mechanisms also guarantee simple assembly and easy access for maintenance work, as well as sufficient freedom of movement during flight.