Aircraft

Air France is carrying out the first evaluation of the Airbus A380 at its new dedicated hangar, with a series of tests involving the ultra-large aircraft at Paris Charles de Gaulle's S3 terminal.

Its H6 hangar will be reserved exclusively for Air France's eventual 12-strong A380 fleet with the first machine due for delivery in October next year.

A team from the airline's maintenance division, Air France Industries, set up mobile docks and access structures for mechanics to work on the A380.

Tests on this equipment, placed around the wings, fuselage, upper deck and the horizontal tail fin all proceeded smoothly says Air France. Noise levels in the hangar and lighting were also evaluated, as well as WiFi tests between the aircraft and the hangar's IT network.

© Air France

Despite the hangar's being reserved for the ultra-large type, Air France's belated A380 delivery schedule means that H6 will also be used to maintain some short-haul aircraft.

To that end, Air France also positioned an A321 next to the A380 to test compatibility. The hangar can accept a maximum of one A380 and two short-haul aircraft at any one time.

Hangar H6 is 90m (289ft) long, 110m wide and 40m high with a total surface area of 25,800m².