Airbus Evacuates 873 People From A380 in 80 Seconds in Test
Airbus SAS, which is aiming to deliver its first double-decker A380 by yearend, performed a key certification test today, evacuating 873 people in 80 seconds -- 10 seconds faster than its goal. One person broke a leg. The drill was done to ensure that passengers could be quickly removed from the plane in an emergency. It was carried out in darkness in a hangar at one of Airbus's factories in Hamburg, using volunteers selected from 11,000 applicants. Airbus said the full results won't be known till tomorrow night.
``We successfully evacuated 873 people in 80 seconds,'' Airbus Chief Executive Gustav Humbert told reporters at a briefing after the test, according to spokesman Tore Prang, who was present. The evacuation time was less than the 90 second goal required by air authorities. Only half of the 16 doors were in operation, as required by the test.
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