A350 XWB put to the test in Bolivia

The A350 XWB’s MSN3 made an appearance in Bolivia as part of the program’s flight certification process, and it didn’t go unnoticed, attracting the attention of aviation and local press and fans alike.

This is not the first time that Bolivia is selected by Airbus to test its aircraft. The country’s extreme hot climate and high altitude are ideal for Airbus to test the design limits of its aircraft under harsh operational conditions.

The natural geography of Bolivia allowed a series of altitude tests on the aircraft, first at approximately 8,000 feet in Cochabamba and later in La Paz at more than 13,000 feet. MSN3 underwent a variety of tests including multiple APU and engine starts, system behavior verification, low-speed taxi and rejected take-offs. While the primary focus of the tests conducted were take-off and landing performance, as increased altitude reduces engine thrust levels, the aircraft also conducted local flights to evaluate climb and approach.

Following its Bolivian visit, the aircraft continued on to Fort-de-France, Martinique, to carry out some hot weather and sea level trials. The aircraft later completed cold weather tests at Iqaluit, Canada, where temperatures reached -28°C.

The A350 is well on its path to certification. Among its most important milestones to date is the impressive “ultimate load” test, which consists of applying very high loads and pulling the wings up to 150 percent of the maximum loads the aircraft will ever sustain in service - even in the worst conditions.

The Airbus flight test program is key to achieving on-time certification and trouble-free entry-into-service for any new aircraft. With its all-new, predominantly carbon-fiber airframe and innovative systems, the A350 XWB has successfully completed more than 1,000 of the 2,500 flight test hours.

For more information contact:
Olivier Schuler, Airline Marketing Latin America & Caribbean
olivier.schuler@airbus.com
and
Mike Bausor, A350 Marketing Director
mike.bausor@airbus.com