Evenings in the French village of Levignac are about to become quieter as Airbus nears the end of an era for its largest passenger jet.
The normally quiet village in Southern France sits just outside of Toulouse, the manufacturing hub of the aerospace giant. Levignac doesn't build airplanes or contribute greatly to Airbus' supply chain but it's played an important role in the development of the Airbus A380.
For the past 16 years, Levignac has been one of the last towns on the journey for A380 parts en route to the final assembly line where parts from across Europe are pieced together to form the finished product.
After arriving at the French Atlantic coast, the wings and fuselage for each aircraft are transported by barge inland and then over the road on trucks from Langon to Toulouse, bypassing most villages but passing directly through Levignac. The first convoy passed through Levignac in 2004 and the practice continued for 16 years before the last convoy completed its mission on Wednesday.
Airbus is shuttering its Airbus A380 product line following lackluster sales. Less than 300 aircraft were sold and with the arrival of next-generation aircraft, airlines are finding it more profitable to operate more flights with smaller aircraft than fewer flights with larger aircraft.
The final convoy carried parts destined to become an Airbus A380 for Emirates, the largest operator of the world's largest passenger plane.
Take a look at how the oversized convoy navigated the quiet French village.