Airbus has marked an important milestone in its A321XLR journey as the aerospace company officially received Type Certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). So far the type certification extends to those powered with CFM LEAP-1A engines only, with the Pratt & Whitney variant certification expected later this year.
One of the most challenging parts of the five year journey was working to ensure that its rear central fuel tank (RCT) was rigid enough, and properly protected to withstand a number of emergency scenarios such as belly landings. As the new design was not full covered by the EASA’s existing CS-25 certification specifications, the EASA had to lay down special conditions that Airbus needed to meet in order to cover any deficiencies not covered by CS-25.
“The aim of every action taken by EASA is to ensure that the aircraft is safe,” said EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet. “Our requirements can be quite stringent and pose significant challenges to the manufacturer, in this case Airbus. But we have a truly common aim of ensuring safety.”
The special conditions set focused on crash safety, fire safety and occupant protection. For example, the risk of fire had to be mitigated to allow for a safe evacuation of passengers and crew in an accident.
“We needed to be sure that the design location of the tank would not in itself trigger a safety issue, that the tank was adequately robust and crash resistant, even in a case where the landing gear failed or an unknown threat such as an item on the runway could damage the tank, and finally we wanted proof that if the tank was compromised, the leakage rate would be limited so as not to pose a threat,” said Michael Singer, Head of Department – Large Aeroplanes at EASA.
Credit: AirbusTo meet these special conditions, Airbus used stronger material compositions and additional supporting structural provisions to protect the fuselage. They also added an inner liner to the tank to slow the rate of fuel leakage should the tank suffer a puncture during a crash.
The landing gear and related structures were also reinforced to deal with the additional weight introduced with the inclusion of the rear central tank. With the inclusion of the RCT, the A321XLR is estimated to have a total fuel capacity of 8,700 US gallons (32,940 liters), with the RCT itself accounting for a sizeable share at 3,400 US gallons (12,900 liters).
The A321XLR has drummed up quite a bit of interest, with 500 orders already in the books, and is set to somewhat fill the shoes of the much older Boeing 757. With an advertised 30% fuel burn reduction over its competing predecessor, this new variant could offer long haul services out of smaller airports, taking away from the financial pressures of operating at large hubs.
Carriers like Indigo, American and United have 50+ orders in the books. It wouldn’t be surprising to see U.S. carriers swapping out their heavies using the A321XLRs instead on European routes out of its east coast cities. Now that the EASA has given the seal of approval, it’s now up to other major agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to also give the nod before we see these birds in the sky.
Featured image: Airbus
