Airbus A318 performs first flight with CFM International Engines

The A318, the latest member of Airbus' best-selling A320 Family, flew for the first time today with CFM International's CFM56-5 powerplant, the engines with which it will be certified first. The A318 took off from the Finkenwerder airfield at Airbus' Hamburg plant in Germany at 11h13 hours local time (09h13 UTC), touching down in Toulouse at 15h15 hours local time (13h15 UTC) after a successful mission. Lasting: 4 hours and 2 minutes.

The flight was captained by Philippe Pellerin, Experimental Test Pilot with Bernd Schäfer, Chief Pilot, Hamburg as first officer, Fernando Alonso and Hermann Schmoeckel as Flight Test Engineers and Bernard Kamps as Test Flight Engineer. The crew tested the aircraft's handling using both direct and normal flight control laws between minimum speeds close to stall maximum operating speed of Mach 0.82. In addition the crew carried out several performance tests under different weight and speed conditions, which showed that the engines performed exactly as anticipated. These engines are already in service with more than 80 carriers, powering other members of Airbus' popular single-aisle family, as well as the four-engine A340-200 and -300. 

This flight marks the halfway point of the flight test campaign for the A318, which has been underway since the aircraft performed its maiden flight on 15 January 2002 with Pratt and Whitney PW6000 engines. The A318 was launched in April 1999 to extend the benefits of Airbus commonality and comfort standards to the 100-seater plus market. Designed to serve high-frequency low-density routes, the A318 further strengthens the A320 Family's position as the most versatile, economical and best-selling single-aisle aircraft available today. The A318 is the ideal aircraft for this segment both for existing Airbus customers and for airlines wishing to join the ranks of some 200 carriers who have chosen to operate Airbus aircraft for their unmatched versatility, high comfort standards and low operating costs.

There are currently 108 A318s on order from nine customers. The CFM-powered version of the aircraft is scheduled to enter airline service first, in late summer 2003, with launch customer Frontier Airlines based in Denver, Colorado.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE SYSTEMS.