Airbus given clearance for A380
By Andrew Champion,WNS France Business Correspondent
PARIS - Airbus has announced its double-decker jumbo A380 airliner has been cleared to take passengers by European and American aviation authorities. The aircraft has been granted its Certificate of Airworthiness after 2,600 hours of flight tests. It is an important hurdle in the development of what is currently the world's biggest passenger airliner. But Airbus has had problems making the aircraft, and there are currently delivery delays of up to two years.
The first aircraft will not be delivered to the first customer, Singapore Airlines, until October next year, and other airlines have seen their original delivery dates slip back. European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) granted the "type certification" at a ceremony at Airbus's Toulouse headquarters. The US Federal Aviation Administration also gave the European super-jumbo its blessing at the same event in France.
The troubled A380 project has been hit by a number of costly delays. Now running two years late due to wiring problems, Airbus' parent firm EADS said in November that the delays to the project had cost it 1bn euros ($1.3bn) in the three months to the end of September. The problems with the A380 project also led to the departure earlier this year of former Airbus boss Gustav Humbert.
posted by wnsworld @ 11:28 AM
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