Delivery

The all-important moment for a customer

When an Airbus aircraft completes the production process, the all- important moment comes for its handover to the customer. The handover may be to the purchasing airline or via a company that has leased the aircraft to its client.

Before taking delivery and formally signing for the title transfer, the customer carries out a complete and detailed aircraft check. It is represented by experts whose assignment is to verify the airplane’s conformity with contractual specifications. They are assisted by the Airbus delivery team in a meticulous, and well-defined process.

A380 All Nippon Airways MSN266 - ferry flight

Final validations before the handover

The delivery phase typically is performed during four or five days, depending upon the aircraft type.

A standard delivery includes:

Ground checks – External surfaces and paint, bays and cabin visual inspection, static aircraft system and cockpit checks, engine tests;
Acceptance flight – Checks aloft of all systems (including the passenger cabin), and aircraft behaviour in the entire flight envelope;
Physical rework or provision of solutions – If necessary for any open technical or quality issues.

Once all the checks have been completed, it is time to proceed to the technical closure of the aircraft. The documents attesting the aircraft’s compliance to the type certificate and conformity to technical specification are signed, allowing the issuance of the Certificate of Airworthiness.

The final steps are transfer of the aircraft ownership to the customer and preparation of the aircraft for the ferry flight to its home base.

The handover

The handover to the customer occurs at one of the five worldwide Airbus Delivery Centres co-located with the company’s final assembly lines in France, Germany, China the U.S. and Canada.