The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued on 30 September 2014 the type certificate of the Airbus A350-900. Airbus demonstrated that the aircraft complies with the regulatory safety and environment requirements defined by EASA for the European Union.
Every new type of aircraft needs to obtain a type certificate before it can be delivered to an airline. This EASA certificate guarantees that the A350-900 is set for delivery from a safety and environment point of view.
The Airbus A350-900 is the first Airbus passenger aircraft with a new design to be entirely certified by EASA, from the application by Airbus in 2007 until the type certification.
When handing over EASA type certificate to Airbus, Patrick Ky, EASA Executive Director said: "We dealt with a very mature aircraft. Airbus and EASA have learnt from experience and have established pragmatic working methods which have proved to be the recipe for the successful type certification and the way forward for future certification programmes. I wish a long and safe journey to the A350 programme throughout its life in service".
During the certification programme, EASA has established 16 technical panels composed of 40 engineers and test pilots, covering the full range of the programme from structure to avionics and from cabin safety to flight tests. EASA flight test teams have actively participated in more than 250 hours of flight testing. Nearly 700 certification documents were reviewed and accepted by EASA. More than 60,000 hours were logged by EASA staff or experts from European National Aviation Authorities to enable the certification of the A350.
The Airbus A350-900 can carry 315 passengers over a distance of 7,750 nautical miles (14,500 km). Its in-service safety record will now be monitored by Airbus and EASA through continued airworthiness activities.
Note to editors:
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the centerpiece of the European Union's strategy for aviation safety. Our mission is to promote and achieve the highest common standards of safety and environmental protection in civil aviation. Based in Cologne, the Agency currently employs more than 650 experts and administrators from all over Europe. Every new type of airplane needs to obtain a type certificate before it can be delivered to an airline. This guarantees that the aircraft meets the regulatory safety requirements defined by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for Europe. EASA is responsible for airworthiness and environmental certification since 2003.
1st Step – Certification Basis From the moment the aircraft manufacturer (Airbus or Boeing for instance) considers that its programme has reached a sufficient maturity, it presents its project to the certification organisations: EASA for Europe, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the United States. This certification authority establishes the “Certification Basis”, meaning the regulatory requirements applicable for this type of airplane.
2nd Step – Establishing the Certification Programme The aircraft manufacturer must demonstrate that the product complies with the regulatory requirements: this includes the structure, the avionics, the electrical systems and also the performances in flight The manufacturer has 5 years after the Certification Basis is frozen to carry out this demonstration. In case of delay this deadline can be extended.
3rd Step – Execution of the Certification Programme The demonstration of this compliance is made through analysis and also during a series of ground tests (tests on the aircraft structure, bird strike resistance, fatigue…), in simulators, and in-flight tests where the flight envelope and flight conditions are evaluated. This 3rd step is the longest phase of the programme. 5 airplanes have participated so far in the flight tests campaign for the A350 XWB.
4th Step – End of the process The compliance findings resulting from tests and analysis are detailed in more than 2000 documents. EASA verifies the findings throughout the certification programme based on a risk analysis. EASA will particularly focus on technological innovations introduced by the aircraft manufacturer in the development its new programme. The Agency also actively participates in some of the tests (ground or flight tests). Once the certification of an aircraft is
