AIRBUS INDUSTRIE chief executive Jean Pierson has extended his attack on the attitude of the European Joint Airworthiness Authority (JAA) to certification "grandfather rights" by writing to the governments of the Airbus partner countries.
In a letter sent on 18 August to the aviation and trade ministers of France, Germany, Spain and the UK, Pierson attacks the JAA for its acceptance of the forthcoming Boeing 737-600/700/800 series as derivatives of earlier models. This, he claims, puts Airbus at a disadvantage in selling its A319/320/321 models because they have to conform to later, more stringent standards than do the 737s.
Speaking at the official roll-out of the new A319, Pierson says: "It is quite possible that Airbus Industrie would not have lost sales campaigns in Germany had it not been unfairly penalised by the customers' assumptions that these certification exemptions would be granted by the JAA." Airbus claims that under the "grandfather' exemptions" Boeing can offer the 737-800 with ten more seats than it can offer in an A321, even though the Airbus has as many (and wider) passenger emergency exits as does the 737.
Pierson adds: "I know the grandfather rules - but when they come to stupidity, I must draw it to [the ministers'] attention." If they do not take notice, he says, the JAA's attitudes could seriously affect employment in Europe.
The A319 was rolled out at Hamburg on 24 August and had its first flight the following day.
Source: Flight International
