Who's a pretty boy then?
Airbus' first completed A350 XWB is unveiled with a full paint-job in Toulouse,
France on May 13. The plane is set to rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner in the
mid-size aircraft market.
After
completion of painting, Airbus' first A350 XWB will begin final testing in
advance of its maiden flight. The plane is built to cruise at a speed of Mach
0.85
After
completion of painting, Airbus' first A350 XWB will begin final testing in
advance of its maiden flight. The plane is built to cruise at a speed of Mach
0.85
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A350 XWB is Airbus' new family of super efficient aircraft
- New plane will undergo more tests before maiden flight in summer
- Plane seen as company's response to Boeing's 787 and 777
Over 50%
of the aircraft's body is made from composite materials.
Over 50%
of the aircraft's body is made from composite materials.
The
internal cabin width of the aircraft is 5.61 meters, with the A350-1000 seating
up to 350 people.
(CNN) -- Airbus has showed off its new A350 XWB, rolling out its first flyable plane on Monday fresh from the paintshop in company livery.
The
internal cabin width of the aircraft is 5.61 meters, with the A350-1000 seating
up to 350 people.
(CNN) --
The aircraft is the first in a family of super efficient passenger planes Airbus designed to go head-to-head against rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777s.
"XWB" means "extra wide body." There are three members in the A350 family: the A350-800, the A350-900 and the A350-1000, which seat 270, 314 and 350 passengers respectively, in three-class seating.
The largest of the three lightweight carbon-composite aircraft, the A350-1000, is 73.88 meters long and has a range of approximately 8,400 nautical miles, or 15,600 kilometers. The catalog price is US$320.6 million. As of March 31, there were 110 orders for the A350-1000 among a total of 616 orders from 34 customers. Most orders, 414, have been for the A350-900.
The
company says that it will use 25% less fuel compared to current long-range
competi
The
company says that it will use 25% less fuel compared to current long-range
competi
The
company has 616 orders for
The
company has 616 orders for
The nose
section of the A350 XWB is made with 5% tita
The nose
section of the A350 XWB is made with 5% tita
A mock-up
of a potential interior on board
A mock-up
of a potential interior on board 
Click to expand: A350 v Boeing 787
Click to expand: A350 v Boeing
787
The plane unveiled on Monday at
Airbus HQ in Toulouse, France is the latest milestone in what has been a
turbulent production history for the A350.
Critics have said the A350
program -- first launched in 2007 -- was a poorly-designed, hasty response to
Boeing's 787.
"The company, which was hip-deep
in sorting out A380 development, simply hadn't foreseen the huge pent-up demand
for a more efficient 250-seat airliner, and tried to take the easy way out by
offering a re-engined version of its A330," aviation journalist David
Kaminski-Morrow, air transport editor of Flightglobal.com, told CNN in an earlier report.
Airbus reworked the design,
configurations and technology to increase the plane's range and efficiency.
The unveiled plane, which Airbus
have tagged "MSN001," will undergo final tests before its maiden flight expected
in June.
Airbus said it took less than a
week to complete the aircraft painting. Last month, engines were installed,
ground vibration tests and flight test instrumentation verification were
completed.
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