Airbus A350 XWB
| A350 XWB | |
|---|---|
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| An A350-900 of launch customer Qatar Airways landing at Frankfurt Airport in July 2015 | |
| Role | Wide-body jet airliner |
| National origin | Multi-national |
| Manufacturer | Airbus |
| First flight | 14 June 2013 |
| Introduction | 15 January 2015 with Qatar Airways (-900) |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users |
Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines Cathay Pacific Finnair |
| Produced | 2010–present |
| Number built | 65 as of 31 January 2017 |
| Program cost | €11 billion |
| Unit cost |
A350-800: US$275.1 million
A350-900: US$311.2 million A350-1000: US$359.3 million |
| Airbus A350 XWB Cutaway | |
 Airbus A350 XWB Cutaway from Flightglobal.com
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"First Look: Inside the Airbus A350" from Aviation Week
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The Airbus A350 XWB is a family of long-range, twin-engine wide-body jet airliners developed by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The A350 is the first Airbus aircraft with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer. Its variants seat 280 to 366 passengers in typical three-class seating layouts. The A350 is positioned to succeed the A340, and compete with the Boeing 787 and 777.
The A350 was originally conceived in 2004, pairing the A330's fuselage with new aerodynamics features and engines. In 2006, Airbus redesigned the aircraft in response to criticism from several major prospective customers and renamed it the A350 XWB (extra wide body). Development costs are estimated at €11 billion (US$15 billion or £9.5 billion). As of January 2017[update], Airbus had received 821 orders for A350s from 46 customers worldwide. The prototype A350 first flew on 14 June 2013 from Toulouse, France. Type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency was received in September 2014 and certification from the Federal Aviation Administration two months later. On 15 January 2015, the A350 entered service with Qatar Airways, the type's launch customer.
Airbus initially rejected Boeing's claim that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner would be a serious threat to the Airbus A330, stating that the 787 was just a reaction to the A330, and that no response was needed. When airlines pushed Airbus to provide a competitor, Airbus initially proposed the A330-200Lite, a derivative of the A330 featuring improved aerodynamics and engines similar to those on the 787. The company planned to announce this version at the 2004 Farnborough Airshow, but did not proceed.
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Wikipedia