The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued todayits safety approval for the Airbus A380 in a hand-over ceremony in Toulouse with Airbus CEO Louis Gallois. The A380 is the first largeEuropean aircraft to be certified by EASA.
The EASA “type-certificate” confirms that the designof the aircraft complies with European safety and environmental standards. The A380can now be legally registered and operated commercially throughout the EuropeanUnion. In addition, the type-certificate is valid in Switzerland,Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. At the same time,the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued its “validation” of the A380certification for the US market.
Patrick Goudou, the Agency’s Executive Director,described the A380 project as a “symbol of international co-operation”, and praisedthe “good collaboration between the Agency and the FAA” as a model for futureprojects.
The certification process for the A380 began in 1998with the French aviation authority and was taken over by the Agency when itstarted operations in 2003. A team of 42 certification specialists headed bythe Agency have scrutinised the aircraft’s design involving hundreds ofdemonstrations and flight-tests. A major test earlier this year involved 853passengers plus crew being evacuated from the aircraft in 78 seconds – wellbelow the required pass mark of 90 seconds.
Dr. Daniel Höltgen, Communications Manager
Tel.: + 49 (221) 89990 2002 - Fax: + 49 (221) 89990 2502Savina Zakoula, Press Officer
Tel.: + 49 (221) 89990 2008Elisabeth Schöffmann, Press Officer
Tel.: + 49 (221) 89990 2025
