Air France has celebrated the successful completion of the highest point of the framework for the first maintenance hangar that will accommodate the airline«s Airbus A380 aircraft which it will begin operating in spring 2009. The construction, located in the Paris-Charles de Gaulle maintenance area, represents a major architectural achievement spanning 110 metres, with a ceiling height of 40 metres, and a 3,000-ton framework capable of bearing a 400-tonne load.

It was designed by the architects Jean Mas and François Roux. The framework was erected by the Italian company Cimolai and the building shell by the French firm Leon Grosse.

With a total floor area of 26,000 square metres, there will be room for up to 4 maintenance bays, despite the real constraints posed by the site.

Air France has ordered 12 A380s, equipped with 538 seats in 3 cabins, which will be progressively delivered between 2009 and 2012, on the basis of three aircraft per year.
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