A new attraction in Toulouse for aviation enthusiasts: The Aeroscopia museum opens
Aviation’s past, present and future have come together in southwestern France with this month’s official opening of the Aeroscopia museum – which was developed with Airbus support.
28 JANUARY 2015 FEATURE STORY
Aeroscopia is located adjacent to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, putting it in proximity to Airbus’ home location – including the company’s headquarters and its A380, A350 XWB, A330 and A320 Family final assembly lines. This enables visitors to appreciate Airbus’ current production activity while exploring aviation history at Aeroscopia.
The museum features a collection of iconic aircraft displayed in its exhibition hall and paved grounds, including an A300B – the landmark widebody twin-engine jetliner that launched Airbus – a “Super Guppy” outsized transporter used by Airbus to carry aircraft components during the company’s early days, and an Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic passenger airliner.
“Airbus’ contribution to Aeroscopia reflects the company's great fondness for celebrating its roots and its different phases of aircraft development and production over the years,” said Jacques Rocca, Airbus’ Deputy Head of Media Relations and Heritage, who also is a member of the museum’s technical committee.
Manatour, the company that offers tours of Airbus’ final assembly lines in Toulouse, manages Aeroscopia as well, Rocca explained, providing an exciting “two-faceted” experience for aviation buffs – with all tours of Airbus’ Toulouse production facilities now starting at the museum.
“Visitors to the museum can tour the cabin and the cockpit of Aeroscopia’s passenger aircraft, and the Super Guppy's cargo hold has been outfitted with a video screen that features an aviation history film,” Rocca said. “A section of the A300B's cabin also has transparent walls and flooring, which provides an excellent view of the aircraft's systems.”
Airbus is a major partner in the new museum – joining together with the city of Blagnac, as well as several local associations to support Aeroscopia, which aims to preserve aeronautical history and generate interest in aviation, science and technology.
- For more information, visit Aeroscopia’s website (in French)
- To arrange a tour of Airbus’ production sites at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, see Manatour’s website (in French)
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