Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON
Airbus has begun manufacturing components for the first A318, with final assembly scheduled to begin at its Hamburg plant later this year.
The 107-seat A318 is the latest "shrink" derivative of the A320 family, and features a fuselage 2.39m (7ft 10in) shorter than the 124-seat A319 - currently the smallest A320 model. Some 218 A318 orders and commitments have been placed, by 11 customers.
The first A318-specific metal was cut late last year at the Airbus plants in Saint Nazaire and Nantes, France, and the first laser welded panel was completed at the Nordenham plant in Germany.
Towards the end of last year, Pratt & Whitney successfully completed the "blade out" test on the A318's PW6000 engine at its plant in East Hartford, Connecticut. P&W says it is still analysing the results and expects to make further design refinements. Despite the initial uncertainty over the final choice of high pressure compressor design (Flight International, 19-25 September 2000), the engine remains on track for certification in late October.
Final assembly of the first A318 will begin at Airbus Deutschland's Hamburg plant in the third quarter of this year. The first flight is due early next year. Two PW6000-powered aircraft will undertake 750h of flight-testing prior to deliveries beginning at the end of next year to launch customer International Lease Finance. Early airline customers include British Airways and Egyptair.
The first CFM International CFM56-5B-powered aircraft will fly at the end of 2002. The second A318 will be re-engined with CFM56s to undertake 150h of tests with that engine. This version will enter service in 2003 with Air France. Three production A318s will be rolled out in 2002 and the rate will increase to four per month by mid-2003, by which time the total A320 family monthly output will be running at 30 aircraft.
Source: Flight International
