Airbus A380 Superjumbo shrink wrap

A team of installers brought together by Tufcoat has shrink wrapped the wings and tail section of one of the new Airbus A380 Superjumbos.

Now that the A380 has completed its test program, with production aircraft delivered to airlines and carrying passengers around the world, the test aircraft are now being put into storage before being refurbished and found a new home.

Airbus A380 Superjumbo shrink wrap

Airbus recently approached Tufcoat to request some help with protecting the sensitive wing parts to allow the aircraft to be stored outside for up to two years.  With just 10 days notice, Tufcoat had to come up with a plan of action, including; fixing travel plans, supplying all the materials and equipment necessary to the A380 Final Assembly Line in Toulouse, and drawing together a team of installers.

The team was made up of installers from Tufcoat customers: Plaswrap, Shrinkex and Wrapstar and a project manager from Tufcoat, bringing together shrinkwrapping expertise from a wide variety of industries and product areas, including Aerospace, Construction, Defence and Marine.

At its lowest point, the wing was around two storeys high, so a variety of access equipment was required to ensure a safe, yet effective working environment. Each wing is 11m wide at the inboard end tapering to around 3m, is around 45m long and took two days to shrink wrap. During the course of the project, Tufcoat were approached by the team responsible for the horizontal tail section (‘the HTP’) and asked to also shrink wrap these!