The Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter recently visited La Paz, Bolivia, as part of a series of high-altitude performance tests. Grizzly 2 completed a number of flights from the airport at La Paz which is more than 13,000 ft above mean sea level.

Operations from high-altitude airports like La Paz are challenging because of the low air density. The tests took place shortly after the aircraft visited the FIDAE airshow in Chile, and Lima, Peru during its first deployment to Latin America.

Airbus Head of Flight and Integration Tests, Fernando Alonso said: “High-altitude testing is a critical part of the overall flight-test programme which will ensure that we deliver on our performance guarantees to customers. I am pleased to say that the early results from these trials have been very positive.”