First A350 XWB successfully completes first flight

Airbus’ most modern aircraft flew perfectly

The first A350-900 XWB to fly landed at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France at 2 p.m. local time on Friday, June 14th after successfully completing its first flight lasting four hours and five minutes.

The aircraft was flown by Peter Chandler, Airbus’ Chief Test Pilot, and Guy Magrin, Project Pilot for the A350 XWB. According to the pilots, thanks to the extensive testing previously done, the flight was very predictable and the aircraft behaved extremely well. The aircraft went through 10,000 hours of testing on the A350XWB Iron Bird, Airbus’ full-size system testing equipment.

For its first flight, the A350-900 XWB, carrying the registration F-WXWB, took off at around 221 tonnes. During the flight, which took the aircraft around south western France, the crew explored the aircraft’s flight envelope. The aircraft was accompanied by a chase plane to observe and film the various manoeuvres. Its progress was monitored by experts on the ground in real-time via a direct telemetry link. This maiden flight marks the beginning of a rigorous test flight campaign involving five A350s, and around 2,500 flight hours. It will culminate in the aircraft’s certification followed by its entry into airline service in the second half of 2014 with first operator Qatar Airways.

This first flight opens a new era for long-haul travel as the A350 XWB is the most efficient and comfortable twin-engine widebody aircraft. It will offer passengers with a similar comfort level to the A380, while providing a 25 percent fuel saving compared to current generation aircraft. Although capable of ultra long-haul flights up to 8,500nm, it is also optimized for regional operations and shares a high level of commonality with other Airbus aircraft.

To date the A350 XWB has already won 613 firm orders from 33 customers worldwide. TAM will be the first Latin American airline to fly the A350 XWB, with a firm order for 27 aircraft, the most of any airline customer in the Americas. In the region, 37 A350 XWB have been ordered so far, including 27 by TAM and 10 by Synergy Aerospace.

You can watch the A350’s maiden voyage at www.a350xwbfirstflight.com

Additional information regarding the A350 XWB programme, the aircraft and its crew can be found at: www.airbus.com and www.a350xwb.com.

For more information contact:
Camille Imbert
PR & Communications, Latin America & Caribbean
camille.imbert@airbus.com