Plein Vol No.32

Concorde, A320, A380 and A350... Total has been supporting Airbus in manufacturing these legendary aircraft for almost 50 years. The successful bid for the Jean-Luc Lagardère Blagnac plant has contributed to building a relationship of trust. Jean-Marc Just-Malmont, Head of the Operations and Administration Department at Total Aviation, gives us some behind-the-scenes insight into this historic collaboration.

W ith more than 38,000 employees and assembly plants stretching as far as

the eye can see, the Airbus site at Blagnac near Toulouse (Haute Garonne, France) is a flagship of worldwide aeronautics. Since the 1970s, Total has been ensuring quality control and fuel management there. From prototype development through to the first test flight and on to delivery to the client, we are fully integrated within the airplane manufacturing process, explains Jean-Marc Just-Malmont. One of the first operations we perform is checking the fuel tanks are leakproof by filling them. Then, the 30 on-site Total employees get on the parking ramps whenever an aircraft s fuel tank needs filling or emptying. In total, these professionals handle over 240,000 m3 of JET A-1 per year and perform 10,000 operations. Our expertise

in oil works and in aviation fuel maintenance and exploitation enables us to meet all client requirements and anticipate their needs. As such, when Airbus developed its Biojet range or when its A340 BLADE prototype (equipped with a laminar flow wing) needed fuel supply, they were supported by Total, a dynamic and proactive partner meeting their expectations in the shortest time possible.

CREATORS OF SOLUTIONS

This good relationship between the two companies has logically led to new orders for Total. Activity has increased by 10% to 15% per year these past three years, continues Just-Malmont. With a very precise manufacturing protocol and busy production schedule, fuel availability and unswerving

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AIRBUS AND TOTAL,

A JET-PACKED PARTNERSHIP

reliability are strengths which have made all the difference. The keywords are proactiveness and anticipation. It is this expertise which was rewarded in early 2017, when Total won the bid for the Jean-Luc Lagardère plant at Blagnac. We operate and maintain the fuel depot for the A380. Soon other aircraft the A320 and A330 will be hosted there too. And to meet the site s specific requirements, Total has also had 80 m3 trucks purpose built. Winning this tender is recognition of our experience and know-how in operating complex fuel facilities, he concludes. The next time you pass by Toulouse, make a stop at Blagnac and visit the Airbus plants for a thrilling experience! n Pierre Meloni

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06 IN THE AIR