Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE
Airbus Industrie says that its A3XX ultra-large aircraft programme will be threatened with delay as a result of a lack of national aviation authority certification resources. Alain Garcia, senior vice-president engineering, is pleading for the rapid establishment of a European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) as it faces an unprecedented certification load during the A3XX programme.
Garcia says the consortium is looking to France, one of the original Airbus partners, for backing as the country takes over the presidency of the European Union in June. France's aviation authority, the DGA, is the "lead certificating authority" for Airbus aircraft. Garcia asserts that "the French presidency is a unique opportunity" .
The arrival of an EASA "will guarantee equal conditions throughout the industry", he adds. "We're appealing for a strong, efficient and open organisation."
Garcia admits that failure to push ahead with the new joint organisation may leave the A3XX's on-time certification vulnerable to delay. "There are so many issues in this aircraft. We need to be adequately supported throughout the certification process". Only by combining certification manpower throughout Europe into a single organisation will there be adequate resources to handle the forthcoming workload. "We've identified seven different activities all coming to a head from 2002-5", he says, and not just the A3XX. These include the A340-500/600, A318, enhanced versions of the A320, the A3XX and possibly the A330-100.
Work on A3XX certification issues is already under way with the US Federal Aviation Administration and European Joint Aviation Authorities, which aims to achieve common certification of the 550-seater in 2005.
Garcia says he is worried, however, about under-resourcing in the Federal Aviation Administration. "It is a political issue for the US authorities," he says, "but if Boeing stretches the 747, we may see a knock-on effect on the A3XX programme".
Source: Flight International
