Aircraft

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulators have formally certificated the Airbus A380, the first large European aircraft to receive a type approval by the organisation.

The approval was handed over to Airbus chief executive Louis Gallois at a ceremony in Toulouse today.

The EASA certificate approves the aircraft for operation by airlines registered in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.  The US Federal Aviation Administration has also issued a validation of the A380 certification for the US market and other airworthiness authorities are expected to validate the certificate in their territories.

The EASA type certificate confirms that the design of the aircraft complies with European safety and environmental standards.

EASA took over the certification responsibility for the A380 when the agency was established three years ago. A team of 42 certification specialists headed by the EASA has conducted hundreds of demonstrations and flight tests including a full evacuation trial earlier this year.

For more information about the Airbus A380, including test flights, videos and pictures please visit our A380 page