A380 Super-Jumbo passes safety test

Airbus said on Sunday it had interrupted an evacuation test for its new A380 super jumbo jet after an incident in which several people were injured as an evacuation slide failed.

It said 32 people were injured, including one with a broken leg, in an evacuation test but called the test a success.

The test was conducted in a hangar at its Hamburg site in Germany under supervision of the European certification authority and in the presence of a representative from the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority, which is part of the certification procedure.

European aircraft maker said the test was aimed at evacuating the plane within 90 second by using only half of the 16 doors. There were 853 people and 20 crew members involved in the evacuation test. Airbus boss Gustav Humbert said 32 people suffered minor friction burns and other injuries one of the passenger suffered a broken leg.

These drills are standard practice in the aerospace industry as the airplane manufacturer tries to meet international safety regulations. Airbus chief operating officer and head of the A380 program, Charles Champion, said in a statement, “Such an incident during such a trail is not unprecedented." He added, “One passenger suffered a broken leg and there were some minor injuries."

The A380 double-decker plane can hold as many 873 people, including crew. It will be the world's largest passenger model when it begins commercial service.

After the test at its factory in the north German city of Hamburg, Airbus manager Gustav Humbert said, “That was a very great success." Chief operating officer Champion said, “We are very happy with this result. It clears the way for the transportation of passengers as defined by our initial customers who all have selected very comfortable three class layouts."

In spite of injuries, Airbus said it was pleased with the result, which would help clear the way for the new aircraft. The European Aviation Safety Agency will confirm the test results this week.