Espace Jean-Luc Lagardère

The Espace Jean-Luc Lagardère is the visitor entrance to the Airbus final assembly lines at Blagnac, on the edge of Toulouse, the centre of the French aerospace industry. It takes its name from Jean-Luc Lagardère, the industrialist who led Matra and became one of the founding figures of the European aircraft consortium that grew into Airbus. The visitor centre is in the suburb of Blagnac, beside Toulouse airport, where the company has built its aircraft for decades, and the visit is one of the most popular industrial tours in France.

Toulouse has been the centre of French aviation since the early twentieth century, when pioneers such as Pierre-Georges Latécoère began to build aircraft and to open air mail routes to Africa and South America, with famous pilots such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Jean Mermoz flying for the Aéropostale. The Rue de l'Aéropostale, the address of the visitor centre, recalls that history. After the Second World War, the city became the centre of the Caravelle and Concorde programmes, and in 1970 several European companies joined forces to create Airbus, which has since become one of the world's two leading aircraft manufacturers. The site at Blagnac, named after Lagardère, is where the large aircraft are assembled.

The tour takes visitors by bus and on foot through parts of the production chain. Guides explain how the main parts of the aircraft, made in plants across Europe, are brought to Toulouse and joined together on the assembly line, and visitors see the huge halls in which aircraft take shape, with fuselages, wings and tail sections in various stages of completion. The highlight is a view of the final assembly of the long-haul A350, and, depending on the schedule, of other aircraft types, from a gallery or belvedere inside the hall. For years the tour featured the double-decker A380, the largest passenger aircraft ever built, whose production ended in 2021. Visitors also see the aircraft parked on the apron awaiting delivery, painted in the colours of airlines from around the world.

The tour must be booked in advance, and visitors need to carry a valid identity document, since security is strict. Photography is limited in some areas, and bags and other items may be restricted. Tours run on certain days and times, with more frequent departures during school holidays, so check the schedule and reserve early. The tour lasts about an hour and a half and involves walking, and the site is not fully accessible to all.

The area has other attractions for aviation fans. Aeroscopia, an air and space museum next door, shows a collection of historic aircraft, including a Concorde, and the Cité de l'Espace, a space-themed park, lies on the other side of Toulouse. The city itself, the pink city of brick, with its Capitole, the Basilique Saint-Sernin and the Canal du Midi, is a short tram ride away. The visit suits those interested in aviation, engineering and industry, and families with older children.