Aircraft May Be Registered In US, EU... But No Deliveries Yet

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 12.12.06 1000 EST: By whatever name you may call it -- superjumbo, gigabus, megaliner, or whalejet -- you can now add another word to describe the 555-seat Airbus A380: Certified.

At a ceremony Tuesday in Toulouse, France, company CEO Louis Gallois received joint approvals from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It is the first large aircraft to be certfied by EASA, and it is also the first time the European and US aviation agencies have issued a joint certification.

The A380 is the largest aircraft ever to be approved to carry passengers -- a distinction held by Boeing's 747 for the past 36 years.

EASA's type-certificate confirms that the design of the aircraft complies with European safety and environmental standards. It also means the A380 can be legally registered, and operated commercially throughout the European Union, once Airbus begins delivery of the aircraft. The type-certificate is also valid in Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

For now, only the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered A380 is certified. A version of the plane powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofans is still undergoing tests, and should be approved for service next year.

At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its "validation" of the A380 certification for the US market. 

Patrick Goudou, the Agency’s Executive Director, described the A380 project as a “symbol of international co-operation”, and praised the “good collaboration between the Agency and the FAA” as a model for future projects.

The certification process for the A380 began in 1998 with the French aviation authority, and was taken over by EASA when it started operations in 2003. A team of 42 certification specialists headed by the Agency have scrutinized the aircraft’s design involving hundreds of demonstrations and flight tests.

Arguably, receiving type-certification isn't the most difficult hurdle Airbus had to overcome with the A380. That still lies ahead, as Airbus fights to revise problematic wiring harnesses that have led to two production delays this year -- and has held up awarding of the production certification necessary for Airbus to start putting planes in customers' hands.

While Airbus still has issues to overcome before the plane is delivered to customers -- many of which will have waited close to two years past their original delivery schedules, by the time they start flying their aircraft -- Tuesday's ceremony was all about the warm-fuzzies.

"Its beginnings are overshadowed by a serious industrial problem -- I don't want to hide it -- but from a technical point of view we can now confirm the plane is meeting or even exceeding the expectations in terms of performance, range, environmental friendliness and cabin comfort,"  Gallois said at the ceremony.

"This is the first major leap in aircraft capacity in over 35 years," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. "What we see before us today is not just an airplane capable of moving 850 passengers. What we see today is an example of superb cooperation among Airbus, EASA and the FAA."

FMI: www.airbus.com