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The Engine Alliance GP7200*-powered Airbus A380 has received type certifications from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Paving the way for entry into service with Emirates later this year, the joint certification follows 16 months of flight testing.
"This certification is a major milestone for our engine and is a great achievement for our team," says Bruce Hughes, Engine Alliance president. "The engine has proven itself to be a fantastic powerplant for the A380*, and we look forward to a successful entry into service with Emirates."
The GP7200 engine is the most extensively tested engine designed specifically for large commercial aircraft. The engine has:
• Achieved or exceeded all test objectives during the Airbus flight
test program
• Accumulated 257 flights and 3,012 engine flight hours aboard the A380
• Amassed more than 5,240 hours and 17,771 cycles of endurance ground testing
Meeting, Exceeding Design Targets
Continued ground testing will ensure mature engine reliability from the engine's first revenue flight. "The GP7200-powered A380 has been performing extremely well throughout the development and certification program," says Mario Heinen, Airbus executive vice president. "The aircraft is consistently meeting and often exceeding its design targets."
The GP7200 engine has captured firm orders for nearly 50% of all A380s on order including Emirates, which will be the world's largest fleet of A380s. Delivery of the first Emirates A380 is currently scheduled for this August, with the first commercial flights (Dubai, UAE, to the JFK airport in New York City) expected to take place a few weeks later.
Derived from two successful widebody engine programs—GE's GE90* and Pratt & Whitney's PW4000*—the GP7200 engine benefits from these programs' latest proven technologies and incorporates lessons learned from a total of more than 20.2 million flight hours of safe operation. |
