Tag Archives: A350-941

Finnair’s first Airbus A350-900 takes shape

Finnair (Helsinki) in the fall of 2015 will take delivery of its first Airbus A350, specially the pictured A350-941 (msn 018).

Airbus has issued this picture and short message:

The first A350-900 for Finnair is taking shape in the Roger Béteille Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. Finnair will be the first European airline to fly the A350 XWB and the third operator in the world. Scheduled for delivery in autumn 2015 the aircraft is now in the fuselage section joining phase.

Following this, the aircraft will move to wing junction, cabin installation and first power-on, all achieved in one single station. Once these phases are completed, the aircraft will undergo system tests, cabin completion, painting and engine installation before starting the delivery process, including flight testing.

Finnair has a total of 19 A350 XWB on order. The aircraft will be deployed on Finnair’s long-haul routes to Asia and America.

Photo: Airbus.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Qatar Airways delays the delivery of the first Airbus A350

Qatar Airways (Doha) has delayed “indefinitely” the delivery of the first Airbus A350-900. According to AFP an Airbus spokesperson stated “We are working very closely with Qatar Airways to meet our common goal to deliver the first A350 XWB very soon”. No reason for the delay was given. The delivery of the first Airbus A380 was also delayed previously.

Qatar Airways and Airbus (Toulouse) had previously announced the delivery of the first of its 80 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft was set to take place in Toulouse, France, on Saturday, December 13. The pictured A350-941 F-WZFA (msn 006) was due to be handed over as A7-ALA.

The first commercial service was due to be on the Doha-Frankfurt route starting on January 15, 2015 but this is now delayed.

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

Qatar Airways to take delivery of the first Airbus A350-900 on December 13

Qatar Airways (Doha) and Airbus (Toulouse) have announced the highly anticipated date of the official delivery of the first of its 80 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft on order, set to take place in Toulouse, France, on Saturday, December 13. The pictured A350-941 F-WZFA (msn 006) will be handed over as A7-ALA.

The first commercial service will be deployed on the Doha-Frankfurt route starting on January 15, 2015.

Over 70 percent of the A350 XWB’s weight-efficient airframe is made from advanced materials combining composites (53 percent), titanium and advanced aluminium alloys. The aircraft’s innovative all-new Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) fuselage results in lower fuel burn as well as easier maintenance.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 142 aircraft to 145 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Top Photo: Airbus.

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

Video: A sneak preview of the Qatar Airbus A350:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Eurospot/AirlinersGallery.com.

The new Airbus A350-900 receives its FAA Type Certificate

Airbus (Toulouse) has announced the new A350-900 received its Type Certification on November 12 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (Washington).

FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Peggy Gilligan and Airbus Group Inc. Chairman Allan McArtor were among the signing authorities at the official ceremony. The certified aircraft is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. This milestone follows the A350-900 Type Certification awarded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on September 30.

According to Airbus, “The A350-900’s respective FAA and EASA certification awards come after Airbus successfully finished a stringent program of certification trials which took the A350-900 airframe and systems well beyond their design limits to ensure all airworthiness criteria are fully met. The fleet of five test A350-900 aircraft completed the certification flight test campaign, on time, having accumulated more than 2,600 flight test hours to create and successfully achieve one of the aviation industry’s most thorough and efficient test programs ever developed for a commercial airliner.”

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. One of the five test aircraft, the pictured A350-941 F-WZNW (msn 004), wears partial Qatar Airways markings at Farnborough where it was showcased. Qatar Airways will be the first airline to take delivery of the new type.

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

Qatar Airways to introduce the new Airbus A350-900 on the Doha-Frankfurt route

Qatar Airways (Doha) has announced Frankfurt will be the first destination for its new Airbus A350-900. The fast-growing airline issued this statement:

Qatar Airways has announced Frankfurt as the first route for its highly anticipated A350 Xtra Wide Body (XWB) aircraft.
As the Global Launch operator of the A350 XWB, the program will achieve another major milestone once the airline receives its first aircraft before the end of this year.

Upon delivery, following several weeks of induction preparation, Qatar Airways will then be set to introduce its first commercial service to the German business hub city of Frankfurt.

Frankfurt will be operated nonstop daily with an A350 starting from January of next year.

Qatar Airways currently flies twice-daily to Frankfurt, and the double pairings will both be operated by an A350 on the route.

Initially flights QR 067/068 will be the first pairing with the A350, followed shortly by flights QR 069/70.

The 283 seats are divided across a dual cabin layout, configured in Business Class and Economy Class; 36 seats and 247 seats respectively.

Qatar Airways has 80 Airbus A350s on order, and expects to induct the first eight production aircraft into its fleet before 2015 year-end.

Before the end of this year the airline will reach 146 destinations, launching new services to Djibouti, in the Republic of Djibouti, on October 26 and Asmara, in Eritrea on December 4.

Qatar Airways presently flies to 144 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America, and operates a modern mixed fleet of narrow and wide-body aircraft.

Qatar Airways took delivery of its first double-decker A380 aircraft in September this year and it is currently operated daily on the Doha – London Heathrow route.

In other news, Qatar Airways Cargo has announced the launch of freighters to Stavanger in Norway, effective November 3, 2014.

Stavanger will be served once a week by an Airbus A330F freighter, with the freighter making a stop at Brussels before heading to Stavanger Airport and then returning to Doha.

Stavanger is known as the European oil and gas capital, with many of the major oil and gas companies and supplier companies having their Norwegian headquarters located in Stavanger. Other areas of activity and business include fishing, shipping, finance, culture, food and renewable energy. There is also great demand for Norwegian salmon worldwide, while imports include considerable quantities of motor vehicles and other transport equipment, raw materials, and industrial equipment.

With the introduction of scheduled freighter services, Qatar Airways Cargo will provide air transportation to these growing industries through the Doha hub, to and from more than 140 destinations worldwide.

The airline received its seventh Boeing 777 freighter on October 2, 2014, bringing up the total freighter fleet to 10.

Copyright Photo: Airbus/Qatar Airways. The pictured Airbus A350-941 F-WZFA (msn 006) will become A7-ALA on the official handover.

Qatar Airways:

EASA certifies the Airbus A350-900 for up to 370 minutes ETOPS, the first delivery A350 makes its first flight

Airbus (Toulouse) has announced it has received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for operators of the new Airbus A350-900 for ETOPS (Extended-range Twin engine aircraft Operations) “Beyond 180 minutes” diversion time with an option for up to 370 minutes maximum diversion time. Airbus issued this statement and new logo:

The A350-900 is the first new airliner ever to be approved before EIS for “ETOPS Beyond 180 minutes”.

This includes an option for up to 370 minute maximum diversion time, for the most efficient, reliable and direct long-range routings of any two-engined aircraft.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved the new A350-900 airliner for ETOPS (Extended-range Twin engine aircraft Operations) ‘Beyond 180 minutes’ diversion time. This significant achievement marks the A350 XWB as being the first new aircraft type ever to receive such a level of ETOPS approval prior to entry into service (EIS). Moreover, this means that operators will benefit from the most efficient, reliable and direct long-range routings of any two-engined aircraft. The FAA’s respective ETOPS certification of the A350 is expected soon.

The approval which includes ETOPS 180 minutes in the basic specification also includes provisions for “ETOPS 300 minutes” and “ETOPS 370 minutes” depending on individual operator selection. The latter option extends the diversion distance up to an unprecedented 2,500 nautical miles – a distance which corresponds to a maximum ETOPS diversion time for the A350 of approximately 370 minutes, at one-engine-inoperative speed under standard atmospheric conditions.

A350 operators will thus be able to serve new direct non-limiting routings, compared with a 180 minutes ETOPS diversion time: The ETOPS 370 minutes option will be of particular benefit for new direct southern routes such as between Australia, South Africa and South America; while the ETOPS 300 minutes option will facilitate more efficient transoceanic routes across the North and Mid-Pacific – such as from South East Asia to US, and Australasia to the US. Meanwhile, operators flying on existing routes (currently flown with up to 180 minutes diversion time) will be able to traverse a straighter and consequently quicker and more fuel efficient path, and also have access to more – and possibly better equipped – en-route diversion airports if needed.

The granting of this ETOPS capability prior to the A350’s EIS is a testimony to the development teams’ emphasis on securing the aircraft’s design and systems maturity, which had to be demonstrated as equivalent to that of a proven ETOPS aircraft such as its widebody sibling – the versatile and extremely reliable A330. The latter has proven the robustness of its systems as demonstrated in over 30 million flight hours in almost seven million flights.

Around 70 percent of A350 flight hours will be ETOPS. At the end of September 2014, the A350 XWB had won 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide.

“ETOPS” is a set of rules initially introduced by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in the mid-1980s to allow commercial operations with twin-engine aircraft on routes beyond 60min flying time from the nearest airport and which were previously operated only by aircraft with more than two engines. These rules, which are now named “EDTO” (Extended Diversion Time Operations) by ICAO have been progressively revised to allow operations beyond 180min diversion time. In 2009, the Airbus A330 became the first airliner to gain an ETOPS “Beyond 180 minutes” certification, when it was granted an ETOPS 240 minutes certification by EASA. As of today, Airbus twin-engined airliners have accumulated over 16 million ETOPS flight hours, out of which over 12 million have been accumulated by the A330 models.

TopCopyright Photo: Eurospot/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A350-941 F-WZFA (msn 006), the first delivery model going to Qatar Airways as A7-ALA performs a taxi test. F-WZFA flew today (October 16) for the first time at Toulouse.

Qatar Airways:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Airbus. Qatar Airways’ future first delivery to be registered as A7-ALA takes to the skies for the first time today in Toulouse. Qatar Airways will become the first operator of the A350 XWB when it takes delivery of its first aircraft later this year. The airline has 80 A350s on order, including 43 A350-900 and 37 of the larger A350-1000 models.

Qatar Airways Aircraft Slide Show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-3/Airlines-Asia3-QZ/Qatar-Airways

Airbus rolls out the first delivery A350-900 for the launch customer, Qatar Airways

Airbus (Toulouse) has unveiled the first delivery aircraft for its first A350 customer, Qatar Airways (Doha). The pictured A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) is now fully painted. Airbus issued this statement:

The first A350 XWB for Qatar Airways is progressing towards delivery before year end. The aircraft equipped with Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines rolled out of the Airbus factory in Toulouse fully painted, prominently bearing Qatar Airways’ livery.

Following the recent EASA Type Certification, the Qatar Airways A350-900 is now entering into its final stage of production during which Airbus and the airline teams are actively working together in order to ensure a seamless hand-over process. The remaining steps up to delivery comprise notably the cabin completion as well as ground and flight tests.

The A350 XWB is Airbus’ all-new mid-size long range product line and the newest member of Airbus’ leading widebody family. The A350 XWB stands out in its class thanks to its combination of passenger comfort, technological innovation and its unique industrial process. Built hand-in-hand with our customers, the A350 XWB sets new standards in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

At the end of September 2014, the A350 XWB had won 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide.

Qatar Airways:

The first Airbus A350 for Vietnam Airlines enters the final assembly at Toulouse

Airbus (Toulouse) has issued this update and photo of the first A350-941 (msn 014) for Vietnam Airlines (Hanoi).

Final assembly of the first A350 XWB for Vietnam Airlines has begun at the Roger Béteille Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France.

Scheduled for delivery in mid-2015, the aircraft will see Vietnam Airlines become the first Asian airline to fly the A350 XWB and the second operator in the world of the all-new, fuel-efficient widebody.

Vietnam Airlines has a total of 10 A350 XWB on order. The aircraft will be operated on the carrier’s premium long range services.

Vietnam Airlines:

The first delivery Airbus A350 is painted for Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways (Doha), which will receive its first A350 XWB before the end of 2014, has ordered 80 of the wide body jetliner. The first delivery aircraft has now been painted at Toulouse.

Qatar Airways:

Airbus completes its round-the-world A350 test flight

Airbus (Toulouse) has issued this statement about the series of worldwide test flights for its new A350-900:

The world’s newest widebody airliner, the Airbus A350-900, has successfully completed a series of Route Proving trials, receiving an enthusiastic welcome at each of the 14 cities it has visited over the past three weeks. At the technical Route Proving the aircraft must demonstrate its readiness for airline operations on a global scale. This last series of trials is required for Type Certification, which is expected in Q3 this year.

The A350 XWB completed its Route Proving after landing in Toulouse, France on August 13th (17:00 UTC) coming from Helsinki, Finland. The exercise took the flight test aircraft, msn 005, across the globe on an impressive 20-day trip flying over the North Pole, each ocean and stopping at 14 major international airports world-wide. During its World Tour, the aircraft flew approximately 81,700 nm /151,300 km in some 180 flight hours, with all flights performing on schedule. The aircraft was operated by Airbus flight crews as well as Qatar flight crews on the route from Doha to Perth, Moscow and Helsinki. The Airworthiness Authority pilots from the European Aviation Safety Agency also participated and flew the aircraft on two legs.

A major highlight was the trip from Johannesburg Tambo International Airport, located at 5,558 feet (1,694m) above sea level, to Sydney, demonstrating the A350’s excellent performance at high altitude airports. The flights from Johannesburg to Sydney and Auckland to Santiago de Chile demonstrated also its capability to fly ultra-long-haul routes or Extended range Twin Operations (ETOPS).

“The aircraft has performed remarkably well confirming the high level of maturity that it has been demonstrating all the way during our development and certification tests. We are set for the Type Certification in the coming weeks, as planned”, said Fernando Alonso, Senior Vice President Flight & Integration Tests, and added: “I truly believe that the aircraft is fit to enter into service and perform to the expectations of our Customers.”

The technical Route Proving commenced on July 24th in Toulouse/France and comprised the following destinations: Frankfurt, Singapore and Hong-Kong. On the third trip, the aircraft visited Johannesburg, Sydney, followed by Auckland, Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo. The fourth and final journey included Perth followed by Doha, Moscow and Helsinki.

At each destination, the A350 XWB performed as expected and on schedule. Checks were made on standard maintenance as well as typical airport operations and compatibility. The automatic landing capability of the A350 XWB was also successfully demonstrated during a local flight performed at Johannesburg.

The A350 XWB is the latest addition to the market-leading Airbus Widebody product line. Offering its customers a 25% reduction in fuel-burn, the all-new mid-size long-range A350 XWB Family comprises three versions from 276 to 369 seats. The A350 has carbon fibre fuselage and wings and sets new standards in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. At the end of June 2014, the A350 XWB had won 742 orders from 38 customers worldwide.