Fokker Aerospace Group hands over first A380 J-Nose to Airbus

01-10-2003

EUR 20 million turnover per year over several decades

Today, Wednesday 1 October 2003, Fokker Aerospace Group officially handed over the first fixed wing leading edge ('J-Nose') for the A380 mega-airliner to the European aircraft builder Airbus. Work on this leading edge is expected to generate an average turnover of approximately EUR 20 million a year for Fokker over a period of several decades from 2004 onwards.

Firm commitments received by Airbus so far for the A380, which with seats for 555 passengers is the largest commercial airliner ever to be built, have now reached a total of 129. For each wing Fokker will supply 26 metres of wing components in 8 different sections, applying thermoplastic composites. Production of these components is now starting-up at the Hoogeveen site of Fokker Aerospace Group, where the first J-Nose was handed over today. 
 
Of the new technologies to be applied by Airbus in the A380, two are provided by Fokker Aerospace Group. These are the lightweight thermoplastic composites (for the J-Nose) and the lightweight material Glare, a laminate of aluminium and glass fibre which is used by Airbus for the upper sections of the fuselage. Fokker's new Glare production facility in Papendrecht will officially start operation in November.

Press information:
Stork N.V.
Dick Kors
Tel.: +31 (0)35 695 75 75 or +31 (0)6 51 98 40 54