The arrival of the Airbus A380 and its effect on aircraft hangar fire protection standards

Hangar fire protection standards– The Airbus A380 – the world’s largest passenger airliner and the third biggest aircraft in history – was revealed to the public in January 2005. With its staggering dimensions (24.1 metres in height, 72.72 metres in length and a wingspan of 79.75 metres), weight in excess of 400 tonnes and a speed of up to 1012 km/h, it easily matches its biggest rival, the Boeing 747.

Since this mammoth aircraft was introduced, hangar protection has taken on new significance as oversized planes require equally oversized hangars for shelter. As a result, hangar fire protection has also had to be redesigned.

Althoug  the benchmark is still NFPA 409 “Standard on Aircraft Hangars”, adaptations have had to be made when it comes to the effective design of suitable fire protection systems for the size of these new aircraft.

The usual high-expansion foam system is nowadays reserved for small volumes. For new projects, different fire protection systems have been installed to meet the needs of these facilities. Sprinkler, deluge and monitor systems are now more commonplace.

Our experts have been tracking these developments for over 15 years. After re-analysing existing protection arrangements, they have adopted a fresh approach to fire suppression. Do not hesitate to contact us and benefit from our experience in this area.

More informations on rules and standards, as well as on regulations of the fire safety