Modern jetliners are an engineering marvel, from the double decker Airbus A380 Super Jumbo to the more nimble Boeing 787 Dreamliner. As an aviation enthusiast and someone who enjoys learning about how things are made, I’ve taken three of the most popular tours.
Below are my quick thoughts on which one is best and worth the detour.
In this post:
Boeing Everett Seattle Factory Tour Review
Probably the most well known aircraft factory tour is the Boeing facility located in Everett, on the outskirts of Seattle. Tours start in the Boeing Future of Flight permanent exhibition and then you are bused to the factory proper.
The Future of Flight is a moderately interesting series of exhibits, though by itself not worth the trek out from Seattle, and also features a Boeing swag store.
The tour proper takes around 90 minutes and visits the largest building in the world by volume. This is where the iconic 747 jumbo jet was once assembled and now the 787 Dreamliner and 777 continue to be built.
Tours are guided to multiple viewing platforms above the factory floor to get an overview of operations, which are explained in detail by the knowledgeable guides. You get a good feel for the rhythm of the production line but don’t get up close and personal.
Overall, I found visiting the Boeing factory worthwhile but not exceptional.
Price: US$27
Airbus Toulouse Factory Tour Review
The Airbus factory in Toulouse is conveniently located at Toulouse Blagnac Airport, making it possible to do a day trip from Paris.
There is great history on this site with Concorde being built at Toulouse (and Bristol, in the UK) having its first test flight from the same runways as today. This factory has also been the final assembly plant for the Airbus A380 over the past 14 years, with the last plane handed over to Emirates in December 2021.
However, the 90 minute tour itself is disappointing. We were shown a low resolution video about the A380 program and test flights and then bused over to one of the large hangars that held the superjumbo. The only viewing point was a room high above the factory floor and behind sealed glass (and no photos allowed).
Overall, I enjoyed my day trip though I would not go out of my way to visit Airbus Toulouse.
Price: € 20
Airbus Finkenwerder Factory Tour Review
On the outskirts of Hamburg, Germany there is another Airbus factory tour you can do. Finkenwerder is the assembly line for the A320 family of single-aisled jets that are used by airlines worldwide.
I went in with moderate expectations, but was incredibly impressed by the quality of the Airbus Finkenwerder tour. This was a walking tour of the production line and we were taken to different stages of assembly.
At one point the workers were towing an A321 sans engines so the group had to stop as the aircraft passed with the wing directly overhead. Similarly we were taken to the electrical fitting stage and were able to stand where the workers would usually be, with bins of all the small parts they use just behind us.
We were also able to see the more complete aircraft with different painted tails waiting to be attached to their aircraft. I remember standing next to an American Airlines tail, amongst others.
Overall, this was the best aircraft factory tour by a country mile. If you’re an aviation enthusiast, I would go out of my way to take this tour. It’s also the only tour that I would do again.
Price: € 24,90
Summary
While Boeing Everett and Airbus Toulouse are better known, the best aircraft factory tour I have taken is Airbus Finkenwerder outside Hamburg. At Finkenwerder, you actually get to ‘walk the line’ and see the process close up (close enough to touch) and at € 24,90 it is an absolute bargain.
