Airbus A350 XWB

Airbus A350 XWB
Steve Lynes · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Airbus A350 XWB
Caption	An Airbus A350-900 prototype on a test flight.
Type	Wide-body jet airliner
National origin	Multinational
Manufacturer	Airbus
First flight	14 June 2013
Introduction	15 January 2015 with Qatar Airways
Status	In service
Primary users	Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific
Produced	2010–present
Number built	600+ (as of April 2024)
Unit cost	A350-900: US$317.4 million (2024), A350-1000: US$366.5 million (2024)

Airbus A350 XWB. The Airbus A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) is a long-range, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by the European aerospace manufacturer Airbus. Designed to compete with the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it is the first Airbus aircraft with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer. The aircraft entered service in January 2015 with launch customer Qatar Airways, offering airlines significant improvements in fuel efficiency, passenger comfort, and operational range.

Development

The program was launched in 2006 as a direct response to the market success of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with Airbus initially proposing a derivative of the Airbus A330. After pressure from potential customers, including International Lease Finance Corporation and Singapore Airlines, Airbus committed to an all-new design in 2006. The final configuration, featuring the distinctive XWB cross-section, was approved by the Airbus Board of Directors in December 2006. Major partners in the supply chain included Spirit AeroSystems for the forward fuselage and GKN Aerospace for wing components. The final assembly line is located at the company's facility in Toulouse, France, with the first aircraft, MSN001, rolled out in a ceremony in May 2013.

Design

The A350 XWB incorporates advanced aerodynamics and materials to achieve its performance targets. Its wings, with a span of 64.75 meters on the -900 variant, are made from carbon-composite and are designed and manufactured at the Airbus UK facility in Broughton, Wales. The aircraft is powered exclusively by two new-generation high-bypass turbofan engines, the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, which are among the most efficient large aero-engines in service. The cabin features a wider cross-section than previous Airbus models, with innovations like the Airbus Airspace cabin architecture, which includes larger overhead bins and advanced LED lighting systems. The cockpit is equipped with large interactive displays and is based on the fly-by-wire technology from the Airbus A380.

Variants

The A350 XWB family consists of two main passenger variants and one freighter model. The A350-900, the first and baseline model, typically seats 300-350 passengers in a three-class layout and has a range of up to 8,100 nautical miles. The stretched-fuselage A350-1000, which entered service with Qatar Airways in 2018, can carry 350-410 passengers and features a more powerful version of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB and a strengthened landing gear. A shortened variant, the A350-800, was initially offered but was later cancelled due to a lack of orders. In 2021, Airbus launched the A350F, a dedicated freighter version based on the A350-900 airframe, with orders from customers like Air France and CMA CGM Air Cargo.

Operational history

The type received its European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certificate in September 2014, followed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval later that year. Qatar Airways inaugurated commercial service on 15 January 2015 on the route from Doha to Frankfurt. Major operators now include Singapore Airlines, which uses the aircraft on ultra-long-haul routes like Singapore-Newark, Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific, and Lufthansa. The A350 has also been selected as the new platform for heads of state transport, with aircraft ordered by the French Air and Space Force and the German Air Force. As of 2024, the global fleet has surpassed several million flight hours.

Specifications

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Model ! A350-900 ! A350-1000 |- | Cockpit crew | Two | Two |- | Seating, typical 3-class | 300–350 | 350–410 |- | Length | 66.8 m (219 ft 2 in) | 73.79 m (242 ft 1 in) |- | Wingspan | 64.75 m (212 ft 5 in) | 64.75 m (212 ft 5 in) |- | Max takeoff weight (MTOW) | 280 t (617,300 lb) | 319 t (703,000 lb) |- | Engines (×2) | Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 | Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 |- | Max range | 8,100 nmi (15,000 km) | 7,992 nmi (14,800 km) |- | Cruise speed | Mach 0.85 (488 kn; 903 km/h) | Mach 0.85 (488 kn; 903 km/h) |}

Category:Airbus aircraft Category:Twinjet airliners Category:Aircraft first flown in 2013