Aircraft

Airbus is targeting the end of next month to carry out its evacuation trial for the A380, as the aircraft that will be used for the tests is prepared for ferrying from Toulouse to Hamburg.

The fourth A380 test aircraft (MSN007), which has been undergoing engine runs in Toulouse, was due to make its first test flight by the beginning of this week. The aircraft will then be ferried to Airbus’s Hamburg Finkenwerder plant for cabin installation.

MSN007, which is the second of two A380 test aircraft to be fitted with a cabin, will have a three-class layout with about 500 seats for the route-proving trials around August. During the customisation process MSN007’s cabin will be modified into a high-density 853-seat arrangement for the maximum-capacity evacuation trial, by incorporating the extra seats in spaces where bulkheads and galleys will later be positioned.

According to regulatory sources, Sunday 26 March is the day being proposed for the evacuation.