Catching Test Flights at Airbus, Finkenwerder

If you've seen your fair share of Beluga XL's (and at this point I have) then the next best thing to see when in Finkenwerder, are test flights coming out of the Airbus Factory. Sometimes it's a test flight, sometimes it's a brand new delivery.

What's the test and delivery process at Airbus?

Here in Finkenwerder, the Airbus factory is mainly focused around the A320 Family. They had previously also been the home of the A380 but production stopped in 2021. The A320 family is the best-selling aircraft of all time, and anywhere in the world an A320 family aircraft takes off or lands every 2 seconds. So if you aren't seeing a Beluga then you are most likely going to see an A320 aircraft.

For reference the A320 Family refers to the A318, A319, A320, A321 aircrafts.

There are now two other Airbus A320 Family final assembly facilities on top of the one here in Hamburg, one in China and one in America. By 2027 they aim to be delivering 75 aircraft a month across all three facilities.

1. Once an Aircraft has been built, painted and inspected it first receives its PTF. Permission to Fly.
2. It then undertakes engine tests in the stands, and tests out on the runway for thrust, taxiing and testing the breaks, testing the landing gear.
3. There will then be the first test flight by an Airbus test pilot. This is usually a short flight where all of the systems are rigorously tested.
4. The customer then spends a few days in Finkenwerder, their own test pilot will take the plane out with the Airbus test pilot and together they will go through all of the system protocols.
5. When the plane is ready for sign off, there's then a lot of paper work and the transition of ownership from Airbus to the customer and registration of the plane. Once this is completed the plane is then flown one last time from Finkenwerder to its final destination.

Who are Airbus' top customers and some of the most common deliveries to see at Airbus, Finkenwerder?

1. IndiGo – Largest A320 family customer overall, with over 1,300 aircraft on order and a huge in‑service fleet; heavily focused on the A320neo, making it a primary driver of Airbus’ narrow‑body sales. This is very common to see in Finkenwerder.

2. American Airlines  – 489 A320 family aircraft in service; major long‑term customer with large fleet expansions.

3. China Eastern (China) – 391 aircraft in service; one of the largest operators globally.

4. easyJet (UK) – 356 aircraft in service; a key European low‑cost carrier and steady Airbus buyer .

5. You're also likely to see Lufthansa, WizzAir, Thai Airways, and Condor.

How to tell if it's a Test Flight or a Final Delivery?

There's a few different ways.

• If the plane has a German registration but clearly a different livery eg, Indigo then it's a test flight. Airbus often reuses registrations, and they tend to start with a D. If it has a new registration and not a German one then it's likely a delivery flight,
• If the Call Sign has AIB at the beginning then it's an Airbus test flight. There's also usually an A or a B at the end of the call sign to signify if it's the first or second test flight.
• Sometimes a plane might be unliveried and you'll see it being tested in a pure white primer. The engines however arrive pre-painted so they are sometimes in blue.

Are you planning a day out to Finkenwerder?

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