Airbus (Toulouse) has decided to delay the entry of the long-range A340-1000 by two years until mid 2017 as it waits for more powerful Trent XWB engines. The entry of the A350-800 was also delayed by two years to mid 2016.

Airbus issued the following statement on the eve of the Paris Air Show:

“Airbus and Rolls-Royce will jointly develop the A350-1000 with more powerful Trent XWB engines. In doing so, Airbus has responded to the market’s call to offer even more payload and range. The enhanced version of the Trent XWB engine will be fully optimised for the largest member of the A350 XWB Family and will deliver up to 97,000lbs of thrust on takeoff, making it the most powerful engine ever developed for an Airbus aircraft. The entry into service is set for mid 2017.

The extra thrust together with an increased aircraft takeoff weight capability of 308 tonnes will enable airlines to fly the new A350-1000 approximately 400nm further with a full load of 350 passengers, or carry around 4.5 extra tonnes of payload at a given range. The A350-1000’s payload-range capability will perfectly support the development of long haul-routes for emerging markets such as Shanghai-Boston or Paris-Santiago, as well as more traditional ones like Manchester-Los Angeles or Dubai-Melbourne, while burning 25 percent less fuel than its nearest competitor.

The A350 XWB Family consists of three passenger versions with true long-range capability. Offering three different sizes, airlines can best match their A350 XWB fleets to route capacity demands, guaranteeing optimum revenue potential. The A350-1000 is the largest of these and will typically accommodate 350 seats. To date, four key customers have ordered a total of 75 A350-1000s. Airbus forecasts a demand over the next 20 years for around 5,800 new twin-aisle mid-size passenger aircraft.”

Image: Airbus.