Two Airbus A380s will fly into two US destinations on 19th March, allowing both the East and West Coasts of North America to simultaneously welcome the world’s largest commercial airliner.
A380 development aircraft MSN7 will fly some 500 passengers to JFK International Airport, New York, as part of the Commercial Route Proving jointly performed with Deutsche Lufthansa over a 12 day period.
Simultaneously, A380 test aircraft MSN1 will land at LAX International Airport, Los Angeles, as part of an airport compatibility trial, which will be performed on the spot with the assistance of Qantas Airways.
As part of the Commercial Route Proving operated out of the Lufthansa base in Frankfurt, MSN7, which is fitted with a full cabin interior, will then fly from New York to Chicago O’Hare and back to JFK on 20th March, before returning to Frankfurt on 21st March.
The aircraft will then go to Hong Kong (24th March), and return to the US for a visit to Washington on 25th March, and return. On its way back from Frankfurt to Toulouse, it will make a stopover in Munich on 28th March.
The objective of the Commercial Route Proving exercise is to fine-tune the aircraft’s interior systems under realistic operational conditions on a number of scheduled flights, in preparation of its entry into service later this year.
During the Route Proving exercise, the A380 will be flown by Airbus and Lufthansa test pilots. With around 500 guests on board on each of the long distance flights, in-flight service will be provided by a full cabin crew.
A380 MSN1 is flying to LAX International Airport for airport compatibility tests. The tests in LAX will be done in cooperation with LAX airport authorities as well as Qantas Airways. These tests include airfield manoeuvring, docking at the terminal gate and ground handling services and equipment, including fueling.
First delivery to first operator Singapore Airlines is scheduled for October 2007. The Aircraft received joint European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification in December 2006. Firm orders and commitments stand at 166 aircraft for 15 customers.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
