Airbus is gearing up to the first official delivery of its highly anticipated next generation A350 XWB widebody jetliner to Qatar Airways...
Positioned as a successor to the Airbus A330 and A340, it will compete with rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777 series.
The global launch customer Qatar Airways is scheduled to receive the 314 seat A350-900 variant. Qatar has 80 total A350 XWB Family aircraft on order, including 43 A350-900s and 37 of the longer-fuselage A350-1000 versions.
Qatar will deploy the A350 on commercial service in the Frankfurt route from January 2015.
The second customer A350 – now in final assembly, will be delivered to Vietnam Airlines in mid-2015.
The fifth A350-900 developmental aircraft has recently completed a 11-day demonstration tour to five new Asian destinations: Seoul, Tokyo, Hanoi, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The Asia-Pacific market accounts for one third of total A350 orders.
Priced around $300 million each, the A350 XWB family incorporates the latest in aerodynamic design and advanced materials. 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. Along with the fuel-efficient exclusive Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, the A350 XWB offers a 25 percent reduction in fuel burn, as well as lower emissions and maintenance costs for operators.
The jet provides more personal space in all classes – including Airbus’ modern comfort standard of at least 18-inch-wide seats in economy, the latest in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems, wide panoramic windows, large overhead stowage compartments and precise temperature control.
The jetliner received Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 30 September, followed by US Federal Aviation Administration Type Certification on 12 November.
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. At the 2014 Farnborough Air Show, the airline placed an order for 100 Boeing 777X aircraft.
QA has orders for more than 340 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320 Family of aircraft worth $70 billion.
