Garuda Indonesia (Jakarta) continues to show its intent to order new airliners, now with both Airbus and Boeing. Following the Boeing intent, the carrier has now signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Airbus for the purchase of 30 A350-900 XWB aircraft.
Garuda Indonesia plans to use the A350-900 XWB to develop its medium and long haul network, with the aircraft offering the ability to fly non-stop from Jakarta or Bali to Europe.
The A350 XWB has been especially successful in the Asia-Pacific region, where airlines have ordered a total of 244 aircraft, representing almost a third of the 780 orders recorded so far worldwide.
Qatar Airways (Doha) has announced it will add the new Airbus A350-900 on the Doha – Munich daily route starting on October 1. The airline issued this statement:
Qatar Airways, the Global Launch Customer of the A350 XWB, has announced the expansion of its A350 services to Germany, with the new state-of-the-art aircraft being deployed on its Doha-Munich route.
Commencing October 1, 2015, the Doha-based airline will be launching the A350 XWB to Munich alongside its existing Boeing 787 Dreamliner service on one of the two double-daily flights to Munich.
Beginning November 1, 2015, the second daily flight to Munich will also be operated with the world’s newest wide-body aircraft, the A350 XWB, further strengthening the airline’s position in Germany as a world-class airline providing passengers with an exclusive premium travel experience.
Qatar Airways introduced its first and second commercial A350 XWB flights to the German market with flights to Frankfurt in January and March this year. The airline has also recently launched its third A350 aircraft to Singapore and will add its fourth and fifth aircraft with all three daily flights to Singapore scheduled to be operated with the A350 XWB by mid-August, 2015.
Qatar Airways’ A350s feature 283 seats – with 36 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80” inch fully flat horizontal beds – and a 247 seating capacity in Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout. All seats in Business Class have a direct aisle access with 17” HD in-flight entertainment screens. Economy Class features 10.6” in-flight entertainment screens and more space for passengers in window seats, thanks to a vertical side wall panel design.
Qatar Airways currently has three Airbus A350-900 XWB in its fleet of aircraft, with 77 more on order, and is the only airline in the world to operate every family of Airbus’ modern airline portfolio. The airline, which has been serving Munich since 1998, currently operates 14 flights each week between Munich and the airline’s Doha base, Hamad International Airport, from which it flies to 146 key leisure and business destinations worldwide.
Video above: A trip report on the Airbus A350-900 from Doha to Frankfurt.
Copyright Photo below: Eurospot/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A350-941 F-WZFA became A7-ALA (msn 006) on the handover.
Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:
Video below: Sam Chui. Airbus A350 inaugural flight.
Qatar Airways (Doha) will introduce the first Airbus A350-900 (A350 XWB) tomorrow (January 15) on the Doha – Frankfurt route. On March 1 the carrier will add a second daily A350 flight on the route.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
Airbus (Toulouse) has announced the new A350-900 received its Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on September 30, 2014. The certified aircraft is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification will follow shortly.
The EASA A350-900 Type Certificate was signed by EASA’s Executive Director, Patrick Ky. The document was handed over to Airbus’ Executive Vice President Engineering, Charles Champion and Airbus’ A350 XWB Chief Engineer, Gordon McConnell.
Qatar Airways will take delivery of the first A350 before the end of the year. Our fleet of five test aircraft (above) completed the certification campaign, on time, cost and quality with more than 2,600 flight test hour
At the end of May 2014, the A350 XWB had received 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide.
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.
Copyright Photos: Airbus. The first Qatar A350 is the pictured A350-941 registered as A7-ALA (msn 006).
