This awarded certification means the aircraft is now ready for delivery from both a safety and environmental point of view.
Of historical importance is the fact that this aircraft represents the first newly-designed Airbus passenger aircraft to be entirely certified by EASA: the process began back in 2007, when plans for the aircraft were first drafted.
The certification program included the establishment of 16 EASA technical panels composed of 40 engineers and test pilots, covering the full range of the programme from structure to avionics and from cabin safety to flight tests. In all, EASA flight test teams have participated in more than 250 hours of flight testing and the agency had to review and accept nearly 700 certification documents.
For the ground handler, this model represents another of the latest generation of aircraft to employ extensive use of composites: having come to terms with Boeing's Dreamliner, it will be interesting to see how the new model is received by the community.
