On November 30, 1988, Air Europa made the first transoceanic flight with a twin-engine aircraft, a milestone in aviation history, becoming the first Spanish airline to operate an ETOPS flight. This certification allows long-haul routes to be covered with twin-engine commercial aircraft, provided a specific time is taken to reach the nearest airport.
The ETOPS (Extended-range operations with two-engined aeroplanes) regulations were issued in 1985 and included the requirements that airlines had to meet from that moment on to be able to operate twin-engine aircraft on transoceanic flights and/or over remote areas, such as deserts, jungles, the poles, etc.
Just three years after its publication, Air Europa, which has always strived to be at the forefront of aviation technology, received this certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and on November 29, 1988, it operated its first ETOPS flight between Madrid and New York with a Boeing 757-200.
Furthermore, Air Europa became one of the first airlines in the world to operate ETOPS flights with this aircraft, demonstrating not only its capabilities but also the work the company has done to obtain this certification and guarantee complete operational safety.
ETOPS regulations require airlines to comply with a range of additional safety measures, as well as certain requirements related to airworthiness, operational procedures, and the training of personnel with specific qualifications, both in terms of crew and maintenance.
The approval of ETOPS changed the course of commercial aviation, since until then, transoceanic and long-range flights were carried out with aircraft equipped with four and three engines.
The regulations established in 1985 opened a new era in commercial aviation, and TWA, with a Boeing 767, was the first in the world to operate a transatlantic route linking Boston and Paris with ETOPS 120 certification. The regulations were soon extended to other twin-engine aircraft. For the 757, those equipped with the same RB211 engines as the 767 were approved for ETOPS 120 minutes in 1986. 757s equipped with PW2000 series engines had to wait until 1992 for approval.
