The world’s largest commercial airliner, the 555-seat Airbus A380, received joint European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and FAA Type Certification on Tuesday in a ceremony held at the Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey was there, and said it was “a great day for aviation.” It was the first-ever concurrent certification between EASA and FAA, Blakey said. The A380 is also the first aircraft to which 21st century certification standards were applied, according to Airbus. The company said it has 166 orders for the A380, with the first copy due to be delivered to first operator Singapore Airlines next October. The A380 is 300,000 pounds heavier than the next-largest passenger commercial airplane, Blakey said, and in its largest configuration, it also carries roughly 200 more passengers than any other aircraft on the market. To date, the test fleet has accumulated more than 2,600 hours over 800 flights, and more than 80 pilots have flown the megaliner. During its flight-test campaign, the A380 landed at 38 airports around the world.
A380 Gets Joint FAA-EASA Certification
Key Takeaways:
- The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial airliner, received joint Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the FAA.
- This marked a historic milestone as the first-ever concurrent certification between EASA and FAA, applying 21st-century certification standards to an aircraft.
- The 555-seat A380 is significantly larger and heavier than other commercial planes, capable of carrying approximately 200 more passengers.
- Certification followed an extensive test campaign of over 2,600 flight hours across 800 flights, with 166 orders already secured.
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