A350 XWB: A new industrial process ‎for the world's most modern airplane

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide Body) is the new and latest member of the leading Airbus widebody family. It is the next leap in Airbus’ on-going mission to conceive, manufacture and gradually perfect the aircraft of the future, already available and flying now. And with TAM taking delivery of the first A350 XWB in the Americas this December, Noticias is taking a closer look at the program’s industrial process.
While the aircraft has already seen tremendous success with 780 orders from 40 of the world’s leading global airlines, including LATAM with a backlog of 27, the A350 XWB concept was born from a new approach for Airbus, one of testing and learning, in order to anticipate and improve the future. The A350 XWB changed aircraft design and manufacturing, taking new and decisive steps in aircraft production and raising every dimension of the programme to a new level. The aircraft, which is made of 70 percent of advanced material - combining composites (53 percent), titanium and modern alloys - strikes the ideal balance between cost efficiency and environmental footprint. Bringing together the very latest in aerodynamics (for instance, the wings have been designed to adapt during the flight, morphing while airborne for maximum aerodynamic efficiency), design and advanced technologies, the A350 XWB offers a 25 percent step change in fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions than with current generation aircraft in its category.
The A350 XWB Final Assembly Line (FAL) has been set up close to the A330 final assembly line in Toulouse in order to optimize the industrial processes associated with an entirely new FAL dedicated to widebody, twin-engine aircraft. The A350 XWB “Roger Béteille” FAL is the “greenest” ever built by Airbus (natural lighting wherever possible, photovoltaic roof producing the equivalent of 55 percent of the power required for the building to function).
The aircraft’s final assembly process has been re-thought to reduce the assembly time and secure the industrial ramp-up to 10 aircraft per month in 2018, only 4 years after the 1st delivery. Additionally, the manufacturing process involves both suppliers and customers at every step of production to ensure maturity from the aircraft’s entry into service. To enhance efficiency and operational reliability, a variety of measures have been incorporated into the industrial process:

- Passenger cabin installation is started in parallel with fuselage, wings and tailplane assembly, leading to a 20-30 percent reduction in assembly time compared to other long range programmes
- A350 XWB sections arrive at the FAL from the various Airbus sites in Europe already fitted out and tested, reducing the amount of work required on the systems in the FAL
- During the wing-fuselage-junction and installation of the tailplane, the aircraft also has its first power-on, enabling the functional tests to begin before the end of wing/fuselage mating
- Cabin lining (floor, sidewalls, overhead bins and ceiling panels) are installed inside the fuselage while joining activity takes place on the outside.
Even the painting process of the aircraft has been optimized to promote operation efficiency and comply with strictest environmental standards. Notably, the A350 XWB is painted with polyurethane paints and solvents with a low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), and paint operators use spray guns with an electrostatic spray system that allow for a more even spread of the paint and less paint to be used, ultimately resulting in an important weight savings on the aircraft.

For more information contact:
Liana Sucar-Hamel
Communications Manager, Latin America & Caribbean
liana.sucar-hamel@airbus.com