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WIKIPEDIA

The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The initial A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the Airbus A330 with composite wings and new engines. Due to inadequate market support, Airbus switched in 2006 to a clean-sheet "XWB" (eXtra Wide Body) design, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB high bypass turbofan engines. The prototype first flew on 14 June 2013 from Toulouse, France. Type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was obtained in September 2014, followed by certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) two months later.
The A350 is the first Airbus aircraft largely made of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers. It has a new fuselage designed around a nine-abreast economy cross-section, up from the eight-abreast A330/A340. It has a common type rating with the A330. The airliner has two variants: the A350-900 typically carries 300 to 350 passengers over a 15,000-kilometre (8,100-nautical-mile; 9,300-statute-mile) range, and has a 283-tonne (617,300-pound) maximum takeoff weight (MTOW); the longer A350-1000 accommodates 350 to 410 passengers and has a maximum range of 16,100 km (8,700 nmi; 10,000 mi) and a 319 t (703,200 lb) MTOW.

On 15 January 2015, the first A350-900 entered service with Qatar Airways, followed by the A350-1000 on 24 February 2018 with the same launch customer. As of February 2024, Singapore Airlines is the largest operator with 63 A350-900 aircraft in its fleet. A350 orders stood at 1239 aircraft, of which 587 had been delivered and all were in service with 40 operators. The global A350 fleet has completed more than 1,235,000 flights on more than 1,085 routes, with one hull loss being an airport-safety–related accident. It succeeds the A340 and competes against Boeing's large long-haul twinjets: the Boeing 787, the 777, and its future successor, the 777X.

back round and early design

Airbus initially rejected Boeing's claim that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner would be a serious threat to the Airbus A330, stating that the 787 was just a reaction to the A330 and that no response was needed. When airlines urged Airbus to provide a competitor, Airbus initially proposed the "A330-200Lite", a derivative of the A330 featuring improved aerodynamics and engines similar to those on the 787. The company planned to announce this version at the 2004 Farnborough Airshow, but did not proceed.[5]

On 16 September 2004, Airbus president and chief executive officer Noël Forgeard confirmed the consideration of a new project during a private meeting with prospective customers. Forgeard did not give a project name, and did not state whether it would be an entirely new design or a modification of an existing product. Airline dissatisfaction with this proposal motivated Airbus to commit €4 billion to a new airliner design.[5]

The initial A350 concept, based on the A330
On 10 December 2004, Airbus' shareholders, EADS and BAE Systems, approved the "authorisation to offer" for the A350, expecting a 2010 service entry. Airbus then expected to win more than half of the 250-300 seat aircraft market, estimated at 3,100 aircraft overall over 20 years. Based on the A330, the 245-seat A350-800 was to fly over a 8,600 nmi (15,900 km; 9,900 mi) range and the 285-seat A350-900 over a 7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) range. Fuel efficiency would improve by over 10% with a mostly carbon fibre reinforced polymer wing and initial General Electric GEnx-72A1 engines, before offering a choice of powerplant.[6] It had a common fuselage cross-section with the A330 and also a new horizontal stabiliser.[5]

On 13 June 2005 at the Paris Air Show, Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways announced that they had placed an order for 60 A350s. In September 2006 the airline signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric (GE) to launch the GEnx-1A-72 engine for the new airliner model.[7][8][9] Emirates sought a more improved design and decided against ordering the initial version of the A350.[10][11]

On 6 October 2005, the programme's industrial launch was announced with an estimated development cost of around €3.5 billion.[5] The A350 was initially planned to be a 250- to 300-seat twin-engine wide-body aircraft derived from the existing A330's design. Under this plan, the A350 would have modified wings and new engines while sharing the A330's fuselage cross-section. For this design, the fuselage was to consist primarily of aluminium-lithium rather than the carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) fuselage on the Boeing 787. The A350 would see entry in two versions: the A350-800 with a 8,800 nmi (16,300 km; 10,100 mi) range with a typical passenger capacity of 253 in a three-class configuration, and the A350-900 with 7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) range and a 300-seat 3-class configuration. The A350 was designed to be a direct competitor to the Boeing 787-9 and 777-200ER.[5]

The original A350 design was publicly criticised by two of Airbus's largest customers, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). On 28 March 2006, ILFC President Steven F. Udvar-Házy urged Airbus to pursue a clean-sheet design or risk losing market share to Boeing and branded Airbus's strategy as "a Band-aid reaction to the 787", a sentiment echoed by GECAS president Henry Hubschman.[12][13] In April 2006, while reviewing bids for the Boeing 787 and A350, the CEO of Singapore Airlines (SIA) Chew Choon Seng, commented that "having gone through the trouble of designing a new wing, tail," and "cockpit," Airbus "should have gone the whole hog and designed a new fuselage."[14]

Airbus responded that they were considering A350 improvements to satisfy customer demands. Airbus's then-CEO Gustav Humbert stated, "Our strategy isn't driven by the needs of the next one or two campaigns, but rather by a long-term view of the market and our ability to deliver on our promises."[15][16] As major airlines such as Qantas and Singapore Airlines selected the 787 over the A350, Humbert tasked an engineering team to produce new alternative designs.[17][18] One such proposal, known internally as "1d", formed the basis of the A350 redesign.[18]

Redesign and launch

On 14 July 2006, during the Farnborough International Airshow, the redesigned aircraft was designated "A350 XWB" (Xtra-Wide-Body).[19] Within four days, Singapore Airlines agreed to order 20 A350 XWBs with options for another 20 A350 XWBs.[20]

The proposed A350 was a new design, including a wider fuselage cross-section, allowing seating arrangements ranging from an eight-abreast low-density premium economy layout to a ten-abreast high-density seating configuration for a maximum seating capacity of 440–475 depending on variant.[21][22] The A330 and previous iterations of the A350 would only be able to accommodate a maximum of eight seats per row. The 787 is typically configured for nine seats per row.[23] The 777 accommodates nine or ten seats per row, with more than half of recent 777s being configured in a ten-abreast layout that will come standard on the 777X.[24] The A350 cabin is 12.7 cm (5.0 in) wider at the eye level of a seated passenger than the 787's cabin,[25] and 28 cm (11 in) narrower than the Boeing 777's cabin (see the Wide-body aircraft comparison of cabin widths and seating). All A350 passenger models have a range of at least 8,000 nmi (14,816 km; 9,206 mi). The redesigned composite fuselage allows for higher cabin pressure and humidity, and lower maintenance costs.

On 1 December 2006, the Airbus board of directors approved the industrial launch of the A350-800, -900, and -1000 variants.[26] The delayed launch decision was a result of delays to the Airbus A380[27] and discussions on how to fund development. EADS CEO Thomas Enders stated that the A350 programme was not a certainty, citing EADS/Airbus's stretched resources.[28] However, it was decided programme costs are to be borne mainly from cash-flow. First delivery for the A350-900 was scheduled for mid-2013, with the -800 and -1000 following on 12 and 24 months later, respectively.[26] New technical details of the A350 XWB were revealed at a press conference in December 2006. Chief operating officer, John Leahy indicated existing A350 contracts were being re-negotiated due to price increases compared to the original A350s contracted. On 4 January 2007, Pegasus Aviation Finance Company placed the first firm order for the A350 XWB with an order for two aircraft.[29]

The design change imposed a two-year delay into the original timetable and increased development costs from US$5.3 billion (€5.5 billion) to approximately US$10 billion (€9.7 billion).[30] Reuters estimated the A350's total development cost at US$15 billion (€12 billion or £10 billion).[31][32] The original mid-2013 delivery date of the A350 was changed, as a longer than anticipated development forced Airbus to delay the final assembly and first flight of the aircraft to the third quarter of 2012 and second quarter of 2013 respectively. As a result, the flight test schedule was compressed from the original 15 months to 12 months. A350 programme chief Didier Evrard stressed that delays only affected the A350-900 while the -800 and -1000 schedules remained unchanged.[33] Airbus' 2019 earnings report indicated the A350 programme had broken even that year.[citation needed]

Design phase
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A plan of the A350 XWB's new nose and general arrangement inside the forward fuselage
Airbus suggested Boeing's use of composite materials for the 787 fuselage was premature, and that the new A350 XWB was to feature carbon fibre panels only for the main fuselage skin. However, after facing criticism for maintenance costs,[34] Airbus confirmed in early September 2007 that it would also use carbon fibre for fuselage frames.[35][36] The composite frames would feature aluminium strips to ensure the electrical continuity of the fuselage, for dissipating lightning strikes.[37] Airbus used a full mock up fuselage to develop the wiring, a different approach from the A380, on which the wiring was all done on computers.[38]

In 2006, Airbus confirmed development of a full bleed air system on the A350, as opposed to the 787's bleedless configuration.[39][40][41] Rolls-Royce agreed with Airbus to supply a new variant of the Trent turbofan engine for the A350 XWB, named Trent XWB. In 2010, after low-speed wind tunnel tests, Airbus finalised the static thrust at sea level for all three proposed variants to the 74,000–94,000 lbf (330–420 kN) range.[42]

GE stated it would not offer the GP7000 engine on the aircraft, and that previous contracts for the GEnx on the original A350 did not apply to the XWB.[43] Engine Alliance partner Pratt & Whitney seemed to be unaligned with GE on this, having publicly stated that it was looking at an advanced derivative of the GP7000.[44] In April 2007, former Airbus CEO Louis Gallois held direct talks with GE management over developing a GEnx variant for the A350 XWB.[45][46] In June 2007, John Leahy indicated that the A350 XWB would not feature the GEnx engine, saying that Airbus wanted GE to offer a more efficient version for the airliner.[47] Since then, the largest GE engines operators, which include Emirates, US Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and ILFC have selected the Trent XWB for their A350 orders. In May 2009, GE said that if it were to reach a deal with Airbus to offer the current 787-optimised GEnx for the A350, it would only power the -800 and -900 variants. GE believed it could offer a product that outperforms the Trent 1000 and Trent XWB, but was reluctant to support an aircraft competing directly with its GE90-115B-powered 777 variants.[48]

In January 2008, French-based Thales Group won a US$2.9 billion (€2 billion) 20-year contract to supply avionics and navigation equipment for the A350 XWB, beating Honeywell and Rockwell Collins.[49] US-based Rockwell Collins and Moog Inc. were chosen to supply the horizontal stabiliser actuator and primary flight control actuation, respectively. The flight management system incorporated several new safety features.[50] Regarding cabin ergonomics and entertainment, in 2006 Airbus signed a firm contract with BMW for development of an interior concept for the original A350.[51] On 4 February 2010, Airbus signed a contract with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to deliver in-flight entertainment and communication (IFEC) systems for the Airbus A350 XWB.[52]

Production

In 2008, Airbus planned to start cabin furnishing early in parallel with final assembly to cut production time in half.[53] The A350 XWB production programme sees extensive international collaboration and investments in new facilities: Airbus constructed 10 new factories in Western Europe and the US, with extensions carried out on three further sites.[54]

Among the new buildings was a £570 million (US$760 million or €745 million) composite facility in Broughton, Wales, which would be responsible for the wings.[55] In June 2009, the National Assembly for Wales announced provision of a £28 million grant to provide a training centre, production jobs and money toward the new production centre.[56]

Airbus manufactured the first structural component in December 2009.[57] Production of the first fuselage barrel began in late 2010 at its production plant in Illescas, Spain.[58] Construction of the first A350-900 centre wingbox was set to start in August 2010.[59] The new composite rudder plant in China opened in early 2011.[60] The forward fuselage of the first A350 was delivered to the final assembly plant in Toulouse on 29 December 2011.[61] Final assembly of the first A350 static test model was started on 5 April 2012.[62] Final assembly of the first prototype A350 was completed in December 2012.[63]

In 2018, the unit cost of the A350-900 was US$317.4 million and the A350-1000 was US$366.5 million.[64] The production rate was expected to rise from three aircraft per month in early 2015 to five at the end of 2015, and would ramp to ten aircraft per month by 2018.[65] In 2015, 17 planes would be delivered and the initial dispatch reliability was 98%.[66] Airbus announced plans to increase its production rate from 10 monthly in 2018 to 13 monthly from 2019 and six A330 are produced monthly.[67] Around 90 deliveries were expected for 2018, with 15% or ˜14 units being A350-1000 variants.[68] That year, 93 aircraft were delivered, three more than expected.[69] In 2019, Airbus delivered 112 A350s (87 A350-900s and 25 A350-1000s) at a rate of 10 per month, and were going to keep the rate around nine to 10 per month, to reflect softer demand for widebodies, as the backlog reached 579 - or 5.2 years of production at a constant rate.[70] The coronavirus crisis caused the decrease of A350 production from 9.5 per month to six per month, since April 2020.[71] After the crisis a ramp-up is planned, aiming to reach a rate of 9 per month by the end of 2025.[72]

Testing and certification

The first Trent engine test was made on 14 June 2010.[73] The Trent XWB's flight test programme began use on the A380 development aircraft in early 2011, ahead of engine certification in late 2011. On 2 June 2013, the Trent XWB engines were powered up on the A350 for the first time. Airbus confirmed that the flight test programme would last 12 months and use five test aircraft.[74]

The A350's maiden flight took place on 14 June 2013 from the Toulouse–Blagnac Airport.[1] Airbus's chief test pilot said, "it just seemed really happy in the air...all the things we were testing had no major issues at all."[75] It flew for four hours, reaching Mach 0.8 at 25,000 feet after retracting the landing gear and starting a 2,500 h flight test campaign.[76] Costs for developing the aircraft were estimated at €11 billion (US$15 billion or £9.5 billion) in June 2013.[77]

A350 XWB msn. 2 underwent two and a half weeks of climatic tests in the unique McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in May 2014, and was subjected to multiple climatic and humidity settings from a high of 45 °C (113 °F) to as low as -40 °C (-40 °F).[78]

The A350 received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 30 September 2014.[79] On 15 October 2014, EASA approved the A350-900 for ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards) 370, allowing it to fly more than six hours on one engine and making it the first airliner to be approved for "ETOPS Beyond 180 minutes" before entry into service.[80] Later that month Airbus received regulatory approval for a Common Type Rating for pilot training between the A350 XWB and A330.[81] On 12 November 2014, the A350 received certification from the FAA.[82] On 1 August 2017, the EASA issued an airworthiness directive mandating operators to power cycle (reset) early A350-900s before 149 hours of continuous power-on time, reissued in July 2019.[83]

Entry into service

In June 2011, the A350-900 was scheduled to enter service in the first half of 2014, with the -800 to enter service in mid-2016, and the -1000 in 2017.[84] In July 2012, Airbus delayed the -900's introduction by three months to the second half of 2014.[85] The delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways took place on 22 December 2014.[86] The first commercial flight was made on 15 January 2015 between Doha and Frankfurt.[2]

The first A350-1000 was assembled in 2016 and had its first flight on 24 November 2016.[87] The aircraft was then delivered on 20 February 2018 to Qatar Airways, which had also been the launch operator of the -900.[88] and entered the commercial service with a flight from Doha to London on 24 February 2018

Shorter A350-800

The 60.45 m (198.3 ft)-long A350-800 was designed to seat 276 passengers in a typical three-class configuration with a range of 8,245 nmi (15,270 km; 9,488 mi) with an MTOW of 259 t (571,000 lb).[90]

In January 2010, Airbus opted to develop the -800 as a shrink of the baseline -900 to simplify development and increase its payload by 3 t (6,600 lb) or its range by 250 nmi (460 km; 290 mi), but this led to a fuel burn penalty of "a couple of percent", according to John Leahy.[91] The previously planned optimisation to the structure and landing gear was not beneficial enough against better commonality and maximum takeoff weight increase by 11t from 248t.[92] The -800's fuselage is 10 frames shorter (six forward and four aft of wing) than the -900 aircraft.[93] It was designed to supplement the Airbus A330-200 long-range twin.[94] Airbus planned to decrease structural weight in the -800 as development continued, which should have been around airframe 20.[95]

While its backlog reached 182 in mid-2008, it diminished since 2010 as customers switched to the larger -900.[96] After launching the Airbus A330neo at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow, Airbus dropped the A350-800, with its CEO Fabrice Brégier saying "I believe all of our customers will either convert to the A350-900 or the A330neo".[97] He later confirmed at a September 2014 press conference that development of the A350-800 had been "cancelled".[98] There were 16 orders left for the -800 since Yemenia switched to the -900 and Hawaiian Airlines moved to the A330neo in December 2014: eight for Aeroflot and eight for Asiana Airlines, both also having orders for the -900.[99] In January 2017, Aeroflot and Airbus announced the cancellation of its -800 order, leaving Asiana Airlines as the only customer for the variant.[100] After the negotiation between Airbus and Asiana Airlines,[101] Asiana converted orders of eight A350-800s and one A350-1000 to nine A350-900s.[102]

Longer A350-1000

In 2011, Airbus redesigned the A350-1000 with higher weights and a more powerful engine variant to provide more range for trans-Pacific operations. This boosted its appeal to Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, who were committed to purchase 20 Boeing 777-9s, and to United Airlines, which was considering Boeing 777-300ERs to replace its 747-400s.[103] Emirates was disappointed with the changes and cancelled its order for 50 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s, instead of changing the whole order to the larger variant.[103]

Assembly of the first fuselage major components started in September 2015.[104] In February 2016, final assembly started at the A350 Final Assembly Line in Toulouse. Three flight test aircraft were planned, with entry into service scheduled for mid-2017.[105] The first aircraft completed its body join on 15 April 2016.[106] Its maiden flight took place on 24 November 2016.[87]

The A350-1000 flight test programme planned for 1,600 flight hours; 600 hours on the first aircraft, MSN59, for the flight envelope, systems and powerplant checks; 500 hours on MSN71 for cold and warm campaigns, landing gear checks and high-altitude tests; and 500 hours on MSN65 for route proving and ETOPS assessment, with an interior layout for cabin development and certification.[107] In cruise at Mach 0.854 (911.9 km/h; 492.4 kn) and 35,000 ft, its fuel flow at 259 t (571,000 lb) is 6.8 t (15,000 lb) per hour within a 5,400 nautical miles (10,000 km; 6,200 mi), 11+1/2 hours early long test flight.[108] Flight tests allowed raising the MTOW from 308 to 316 t (679,000 to 697,000 lb), the 8 t (18,000 lb) increase giving 450 nmi (830 km; 520 mi) more range.[109] Airbus then completed functional and reliability testing.[110]

Type Certification was awarded by EASA on 21 November 2017,[111] along FAA certification. The first serial unit was on the final assembly line in early December.[112] After its maiden flight on 7 December 2017, delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways slipped to early 2018.[113] The delay was due to issues with the business class seat installation.[114] It was delivered on 20 February 2018[115] and entered commercial service on Qatar Airways' Doha to London Heathrow route on 24 February 2018.[116]

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