Etihad Airways and Airbus marked a celebration in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, with the visit of the revolutionary Airbus 380-800 aircraft. The Etihad branded double-decker A380, flown to the UAE for…
Etihad Airways and Airbus marked a celebration in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, with the visit of the revolutionary Airbus 380-800 aircraft. The Etihad branded double-decker A380, flown to the UAE for heat testing, thrilled crowds across the country with a fly-past over the other Emirates, before heading for Abu Dhabi Corniche and city centre, and finally touching down at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, chairman of Etihad Airways said, “The A380 is set to change the future of air travel.”
Habib Fekih, President of Airbus Middle East, said: “In less than three years, Etihad has attained a reputation as one of the most respected and fastest growing airlines in the world. With our modern and very efficient aircraft family we are proud to be Etihad’s partner in its strong growth strategy and rapidly expanding network.”
Etihad has singed an agreement in 2004 with Airbus for A340-500 series which forms part of an, US$8 billion, 24-strong aircraft order. Within the Etihad order are four A380s which can accommodate up to 555 Guests in a standard three-zone configuration.
After the visit to Abu Dhabi, the A380 will continue hot weather testing in Al Ain, which forms part of an overall European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification programme.
In the hot weather tests the aircraft systems including the engines, auxiliary power unit (APU), air conditioning, hydraulic and electrical systems. This is done on the ground and in flight at outside temperatures in excess of 38 degrees centigrade.
Earlier in 2005, the A380 completed extreme cold weather testing at minus 30 degrees centigrade in Iqualuit, Canada, as well as high altitude tests at 7,000 feet in Medellin, Columbia.
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