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East Hartford, CT, United States - Feb 12, 2009 - The first Air France A380 flew from Airbus, Toulouse to Airbus, Hamburg on Monday, February 16, 2009 where it will be painted in Air France livery and its interior will be customized for the airline. Monday’s flight was the second for the aircraft, which made its inaugural post assembly flight on Thursday, February 13, 2009, when it successfully completed a 4-hour test route.

The aircraft, MSN 033, is the first of 12 A380s Air France has on order, and all 12 will be powered with Engine Alliance engines. Air France is the second customer for the joint venture company of GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney, whose GP7200 engines entered service on an Emirates A380 last August. MSN 033 is scheduled for delivery to Air France in October.

“The first flight represents a significant milestone in the GP7200 program,” Engine Alliance President Jim Moravecek said. “We’re ready for our entry into service with Air France this year and we couldn’t be more excited about working with them."

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. The A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and London’s QC2 departure noise rules. According to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification test data, the GP7200 engine is the quietest engine on this aircraft.

The GP7200’s environmental emissions are also well below current and anticipated regulations, and its low fuel burn further reduces emissions.

The GP7200 is manufactured at GE and Pratt & Whitney, with GE assembling the core in Durham, NC (North Carolina), and Pratt &Whitney manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine. Final engine assembly is conducted at Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Center in Middletown, CT (Connecticut).

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric Aviation (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

 

Company Center: Engine Alliance, LLC