Qatar Airways (Doha) will now take delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 on Monday, December 22. Apparently the previous unspecified issues that delayed the original handover date have been worked out. Qatar Airways will now receive the pictured A350-941 F-WZFA/A7-ALA (msn 006) on Monday as the launch customer of the new type and the first airline to take delivery.
Airbus issued this statement:
The historic delivery of Airbus’ first A350 XWB – which is to be received on December 22 by launch customer Qatar Airways – will mark another major milestone for this advanced widebody jetliner that is setting new standards in terms of passenger comfort, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
The A350 XWB program has been particularly busy during 2014 as Airbus and other stakeholders worked toward the headline-making initial handover. This activity was highlighted by the continuation and completion of A350-900 flight testing; which was followed by Type Certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), received in September and November, respectively.
Lasting just over 14 months, which is an industry record, the A350-900 flight test and certification programme comprised a five-aircraft fleet which performed over 2,600 flight hours in total. During this campaign, Airbus successfully completed the certification trials which took the airframe and its systems beyond their design limits to ensure airworthiness criteria are fully met.
The remarkable fuel-efficiency is the product of cutting-edge technology. More than two-thirds of this jetliner’s airframe is made from composite materials, titanium and advanced aluminium alloys. The fuselage and wings are built from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic. The latest aerodynamics sharpen the A350’s operational efficiency, while its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines use the most advanced propulsion technology.
At the end of November 2014, the A350 XWB had logged 778 firm orders from 41 customers worldwide. To meet this demand, Airbus is ramping up production progressively to reach the planned rate of 10 aircraft per month by 2018.
Copyright Photo: Airbus.
Video: