Airbus has received joint airworthiness type certification for its A320neo aircraft equipped with CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine from European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The CFM LEAP-1A engine is the second engine option for A320neo aircraft.
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After receiving the latest certification, Airbus will now be able to deliver the first A320neo equipped with CFM LEAP-1A engine type in middle part of this year.
The certification follows six months from the initial certificate of airworthiness received from the EASA and FAA for the A320neo equipped with the Pratt & Whitney engine, the other engine option for the A320neo family.
The first A320neo was delivered in January this year.
Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier said: "This key milestone for the A320neo programme, and its second engine option, the specially developed LEAP-1A, is a double seal of approval by the two major international governing bodies and comes after the A320neo Family had successfully accomplished a rigorous programme of certification trials."
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By GlobalDataThe company noted that the two LEAP-powered aircraft assigned to the flight test campaign have already flown more than 1,000 flight hours in over 350 flights, which include 150 flight hours completed with the same aircraft in an airline-like environment to ensure operational maturity at entry to service.
Certification of the remaining aircraft or engine variants with LEAP engines will follow over the next few months.
Upon completion of all the flight testing, the NEO development fleet with both engine options will achieve a combined total of 3,000 flight hours.
The A320neo family of aircraft feature new engine technologies, Sharklet wing-tip devices and cabin innovations, as well as accommodate 100 to 240 passengers.
Since its launch in December 2010, the A320neo family has received more than 4,500 orders from at least 82 customers worldwide.
Image: EASA and US FAA grants airworthiness type certification to A320neo with CFM LEAP-1A engine. Photo: courtesy of Airbus SAS.
