The A380 powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 engines received joint European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification on 14th December 2007.
The EASA Type Certificate for the Engine Alliance powered A380 was signed by Frédéric Copigneaux, EASA’s Deputy Director of Certification prior to being handed over to Patrick Gavin, Airbus’s Executive Vice President Engineering. The FAA Type Certificate for the Engine Alliance powered A380 will be signed later in the day in Seattle, by Ali Bahrami, the FAA’s Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety.
This certification follows by one year the initial Certificate of Airworthiness received from the EASA and FAA for the A380, powered by Rolls Royce engines, in December 2006.
Emirates, the largest A380 customer, will be the first to receive the Engine Alliance GP7200 powered A380 in the summer of 2008. Subsequent deliveries for this airframe/engine-combination will be to Air France, Korean Air and ILFC.
“This double seal of approval represents another key milestone for the A380 programme. Following the acceptance for the external noise values of the aircraft, the certification is the final stamp of approval for the GP7200 powered A380. It confirms the Engine Alliance powered A380 is now also ready to enter service with first operators next year,” says Mario Heinen, Executive Vice President and Head of the A380 Programme, at the ceremony held at Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France.
The certification by the two major international governing bodies comes after the A380 successfully completed a stringent programme of certification trials. They have taken its airframe and systems to its limits. The A380 meets – or even exceeds – all airworthiness criteria.
MSN009, Airbus’ test aircraft powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 completed almost 800 hours of test flights, including dedicated high altitude, hot and cold weather test campaigns, in addition to noise testing and special fuel grade tests. The flight test campaign has also confirmed that the aircraft meets the guaranteed performance both in terms of fuel burn and range. Its very low fuel burn contributes to low operating costs, as well as to very low emissions. An environmental champion, the A380 is also quieter than any other large airliner, meeting the stringent noise restrictions at London’s Heathrow airport. The A380 also has the quietest cabin in the skies and provides a very smooth ride.
The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 powered A380 in service with Singapore Airlines has been successfully operating a daily scheduled service between Sydney and Singapore since 28th October, with a 100 per cent technical dispatch reliability. Total firm orders and commitments for the A380 at the end of November are 193 from 17 customers.
Photo: Airbus
