25 July 2007
Al Ain: An Airbus A380 superjumbo arrived here on Monday evening on a week-long mission to test the performance of its four powerful GP7200 engines in hot climates.
The engines, developed by the Engine Alliance formed between between GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney, have been selected by Emirates to power its future fleet of double-decker aircraft.
Huge order
The aircraft will be configured to seat 489 to 650 passengers. Dubai-based carrier Emirates is by far the biggest single customer for the A380 with an order for 55 jets.
This is the third time the super jumbo has visited Al Ain International Airport for test flights.
It arrived here along with a team of 37 engineers, technicians and pilots. The joint Airbus and Engine Alliance team was welcomed by Faris Al Maz-rouei, director of Al Ain Airport.
The team will conduct intensive tests of the engines using sophisticated equipment brought on board.
Peter Chandler, chief test pilot for the A380, told Gulf News that the plane was the GP7200-powered A380 aircraft that made its public debut at the Paris Air Show last month.
The Engine Alliance has delivered the first set of four GP7200 production engines to Airbus.
They will be installed on the first A380 aircraft for Emirates.
"The aircraft has already been certified with a different set of engines," said Chandler.
"The GP7200 engine has been performing very well," he said.
He added that the test team would monitor the engines at high altitude conditions including takeoff performance, ground starting and transient operations during its stay in the UAE.
Fuel-efficient
The manufacturers claim that the GP7200 is not only the most fuel-efficient engine for the A380, it also burns less fuel than was sought by Airbus in its original specifications.
Shandler said the engine has been certified at 76,500 pounds of thrust. It, however, has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds for the A380 in high temperatures.
According to Airbus, the same engine has also been selected by Air France, Korean Airlines and International Lease Finance Corporation to power their A380s.
By Aftab Kazmi
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
