AIRBUS ATLANTIC Behind the scenes at the Saint-Nazaire Airbus plant

Book now

Enter the huge assembly workshops and witness the creation of all Airbus models: A320, A330, A350… Just a few steps away from cockpits and fuselages, you will be astonished how every single operation is done with surgical precision. After this tour, you will not get on a plane in the same way again!

BOOKING IS COMPULSORY

Welcome to Airbus Atlantic

Conquering the skies

Saint-Nazaire has been the cradle of the aeronautical industry since 1923: at first seaplanes and propeller aircrafts, today modern Airbus planes. The Airbus Atlantic plant is one of the biggest centres of excellence for the aeronautical industry in Europe. Let us take you on a two-hour guided tour through the workshops where the planes are assembled and equipped.

See airplanes like nowhere else

The Saint-Nazaire site specialises in assembling, equipping and testing the forward sections and central fuselages of the entire Airbus aircraft range. The whole family is represented: from the A320 –still among the world’s best-selling aircrafts– to the huge A350 models. Some fuselage sections are very impressive!

Follow your guide…

For a fascinating tour through various workshops
For close looks at a plane when it is being assembled and equipped with its critical parts
For the “wow” effect when standing in front of the fuselage of a A350XWB model

Inside the workshops

Depending on the model, final assembly operations are carried out either at Airbus’ main French plant in Toulouse or at the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. Here in Saint-Nazaire you are given the unique opportunity to see the airplanes prior to final assembly: watch the rivets being lined up on a fuselage, see cabin windows being installed, observe the high-precision work done in the cockpits…

With a bit of luck, you might even see the fabulous cargo aircraft Beluga ‘Flying whale’. It regularly lands in Saint-Nazaire to pick up fuselage sections which are then taken to Toulouse or Hamburg. Not all of the sections take the Beluga, though: those of the A380 are too big even for the huge cargo compartment of the air freighter. They leave Saint-Nazaire by sea.

What our visitors think

“Here you walk in a real factory and observe planes being built in real time, such a wonderful experience. We saw fuselages of all of the Airbus family being built right from adding parts together to form outer body, to the laying of electrics, water, hydraulics and fuel systems.“

“The guide was very knowledgable about everything Airbus related. Great access inside the factory, fascinating to see the ins and outs of the production line.”

“A great holiday treat to have a tour of a working factory! No, really – it was fascinating. We were collected from the submarine base, and taken by coach with a guide. We toured the factory to look at the different projects taking place. The guide was very knowledgeable.”

Visitor Info:

Booking is compulsory.
Booking procedure: personal details (first and last name, nationality, date and place of birth) are required for each visitor. This information must be strictly identical to that appearing on the ID or Passport that you will have to present on the day of the visit.
Valid ID/Passport required (driving licence or others documents will not be accepted).
Non EU-nationals (including Swiss citizens) must book at least one month prior to visiting by phone or e-mail.
2-hour guided tour (routes and areas to be visited may vary according to the workshops’ activities).
The tour is in French.
Departure by bus: submarine base of Saint-Nazaire – boulevard de la Légion d’Honneur, near the ticket office.
Photography and filming are strictly forbidden during the tour.
Visitors must wear closed shoes that cover the feet.
For safety reasons, Airbus cannot accept visitors with limited mobility, children under the age of 7 or any pushchairs.
See booking terms and conditions for groups of 20 people or more.
Please note that the industrial sites to be visited may expose you to short-term inconvenience resulting from noise and/or smells.

Prices – Airbus Atlantic 2-hour guided tour
*Full*	*Reduced*	*Children aged 7-17*
€21	€19	€10.50

The more you see, the more you save!

#PASS Embarquement Escal’Atlantic + 1 industrial tour (Shipyard OR Airbus OR Harbour Terminals)
*Full*	*Reduced*	*Children aged 7-17*
€30	–	€15

Reduced price (on presentation of proof): students, job seekers, people with disabilities with one accompanying person, annual PASS holders.
Where can I buy tickets?
- On this website
- On site, 3 ticket offices: submarine base, fortified lock and Écomusée
Means of payment: cash, credit card (VISA and Mastercard)

Non EU-nationals (including Swiss citizens) must book at least one month prior to visiting by phone or e-mail.

How to get here?

Departure by bus from the submarine base, Boulevard de la Légion d’Honneur, Saint-Nazaire – near the ticket office.

There are several car parks close by. Bike stands and lockers are available inside the submarine base.

Public transportation:

Saint-Nazaire is served by both the TGV and the regional trains.
From the railway station, the nearest bus stops to the submarine base are:
- ‘Rue de la Paix’ (Hélyce line, daily) + 7 minutes walk
- ‘Ruban Bleu’ (U2 and U4 lines, from Monday to Saturday) + 4 minutes walk