Airbus A350 XWB Development

[flee 5]

 

A350 XWB completes hot weather testing in Al Ain

Focussing on engines and systems performance in hot weather conditions

18 JUNE 2014 PRESS RELEASE

Airbus’ A350 XWB flight test aircraft (MSN3) has completed hot weather testing in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. The objective of the tests is to check the behaviour of the engines and aircraft systems at temperatures reaching above 40°C.

The aircraft performed several tests in flight as well as on the ground, including heat soak tests. These involve the airplane being left on the ground and in the sun for several hours and checks later performed on various cooling systems.

The A350 XWB is getting closer to certification in Q3 2014. To date it has performed more than 2,000 flight test hours in over 460 test flights. The programme is on track to deliver the first customer aircraft in Q4 this year to Qatar Airways.

Source: Airbus

 

[flee 5]

 

A350 XWB test fleet now complete: ‘MSN005’ – the fifth and final flight-test aircraft takes to the skies

 

20 JUNE 2014 PRESS RELEASE

With the first flight today of A350 MSN005, the five-strong development fleet is now complete. Being the second passenger cabin-equipped A350 and tasked with route proving and ETOPS validation, MSN005 embodies the operationally definitive configuration for Type Certification duties. This milestone means that the A350 XWB development programme is at full speed and on track for certification in the third quarter of this year, to be followed thereafter by delivery of the first customer aircraft to Qatar Airways in the fourth quarter.

As of today, the A350 XWB programme has already achieved more than 2,000 flight-test hours in around 500 flights, and with this the programme is demonstrating the highest flying rate ever achieved in Airbus flight tests, with around 80 flight hours per aircraft per month.

Source: Airbus

[flee 5]

Airbus to launch A350 'world tour' later this year

 

Airbus will send two passenger-carrying A350 jets on a de facto world tour in the lead-up to the aircraft's launch at the end of this year.

An A350 fitted with business and economy cabins will conduct "route-proving flights around the world to major destinations it will serve", according to Airbus.

There will also be "long flight cabin testing" with flights lasting "anything from eight to twelve hours" says Chris Emerson, Airbus' senior vice-president of marketing.

"We will have Airbus employees as passengers because we need enough time to test all the systems, and make sure the airflow, humidity and temperature control is right" Emerson tells Australian Business Traveller.

Full report: http://www.ausbt.com.au/airbus-to-launch-a350-world-tour-later-this-year

[flee 5]

A350 XWB MSN001 successfully conducted ‘Maximum Energy Rejected Take-Off’ test

 

 

 

22 JULY 2014 PRESS RELEASE

Airbus has successfully performed the ‘Maximum Energy Rejected Take-Off’ (MERTO) test with the A350 MSN001 on the morning of Saturday 19th July at Istres Air Force Base in France. MERTO, which follows on from the previous ‘High Energy Rejected Take-Off’ (HERTO) preparation test conducted by MSN001 two months ago, is a part of the mandatory series of tests for Certification.

This latest test is to confirm the braking system’s ability to safely stop the aircraft following a rejected take-off at high speed and high weight – using a set of worn-out brakes. As these brakes absorb the kinetic energy of the aircraft, they glow bright orange and reach a temperature of around 1,400 degrees centigrade by the time the aircraft has safely come to a standstill, whereupon the tires are deflated by special fuses. According to certification requirements, the aircraft then has to stay put for five minutes unassisted, after which firefighters are allowed to spray the wheels and brakes to cool them. The Airbus Test team received full support from the “DGA (Délégation Générale pour l’Armement) – Essais en vols”, which played a key role in facilitating the test.

MERTO is the A350 XWB programme’s final major test before MSN005, one of two cabin-equipped development aircraft, embarks on ‘Route Proving’ in July. The programme has to date achieved more than 2,250 flight hours in around 540 flights, and is on track for certification in Q3 and first delivery to Qatar Airways in Q4.

[flee 5]

The A350 XWB embarks on final certification phase

 

World route proving tour to visit 14 cities

24 JULY 2014 PRESS RELEASE

The world’s newest airliner, the Airbus A350-900, has taken off this morning for the final stage towards certification. These Route Proving tests are designed to demonstrate readiness for airline operations and will include high airfield performance, auto-landing trials, and airport turnaround and handling services. Some flights will have passengers on board. The A350 world tour itinerary includes 14 major airports worldwide and one route via the North Pole.

The world tour using A350 MSN5 test aircraft forms part of the route proving for certification campaign. The aircraft (MSN5) is one of the fleet of five test aircraft and one of two with a fully functional cabin (42 business class and 223 economy class seats). The A350 flights will be operated by Airbus flight crews with the participation of Airworthiness Authority pilots from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The tests form part of the last trials required for aircraft Type Certification scheduled for Q3 this year. The first airline delivery, to Qatar Airways, will follow towards the end of the year.

The three week trial (four trips) starts in Toulouse, France. Trip one, includes destinations such as Canada via the north-pole and Frankfurt. Trip two to Asia, the world’s fastest growing aviation market, includes visits to Hong Kong and Singapore. The third trip brings the aircraft to Johannesburg and to Sydney. From Sydney it will fly to Auckland, followed by Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo before returning to Toulouse. On the fourth and final trip, the A350 will depart from Toulouse to Doha, then onto Perth and back to Doha. From Doha it will fly to Moscow, then to Helsinki from where it will fly back to Toulouse.

Today five development A350s are flying and are actively involved in the intensive flight test programme, which has already reached over 540 flights and 2,250 flight hours.

The A350 XWB is the latest addition to the market-leading Airbus Widebody product line. Offering its customers a 25% reduction in fuel-burn, the all-new mid-size long-range A350 XWB Family comprises three versions from 276 to 369 seats. The A350 has carbon fibre fuselage and wings and sets new standards in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. At the end of June 2014, the A350 XWB had won 742 orders from 38 customers worldwide.

Trip one: Toulouse-Iqaluit-Frankfurt-Toulouse

Trip two: Toulouse-Hong-Kong-Singapore-Hong-Kong-Toulouse (Hong Kong to Singapore several times)

Trip three: Toulouse-Johannesburg-Sydney-Auckland-Santiago de Chile-Sao Paulo-Toulouse

Trip four: Toulouse-Doha-Perth-Doha-Moscow-Helsinki-Toulouse

Source: http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/the-a350-xwb-embarks-on-final-certification-phase/

 

[flee 5]

A350 XWB route proving: Europe-Canada via the North Pole and back

The first phase of A350 XWB route-proving flights took Airbus’ newest jetliner from Toulouse, France over the North Pole to Iqaluit Airport in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. On its return flight, the A350-900 made a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany for visits by personnel from Lufthansa – one of the 38 customers placing firm orders for the A350 Family to date. The world route proving flights are demonstrating the A350-900 version’s readiness for airline operations, and will include operations to14 major airports worldwide.

 

[leon t 0]

believed the A330neo have cannibalised some sales of its own A350s

[flee 5]

believed the A330neo have cannibalised some sales of its own A350s

That may be true, but so far, it is A350-800 that is affected.

 

In any case, as long as the order goes to Airbus, it is better that the customer buys A330neo than go for B787.

[S V Choong 4]

Saw a A350-941 XWB today at Hong Kong Airport.

[KC Sim 2]

The Airbus A350-941 that is undertaking the route-proving flights (msn 005 F-WWYB) has landed in Singapore at 0524hrs local time and has been allocated a remote stand (205). It will depart at 1000hrs for its return to Hong Kong and will make two more HKG-SIN-HKG rotations over two days (30 and 31 July) before returning to Toulouse from Hong Kong.

 

Note that it landed this morning on runway 20C but it remains to be seen if this continues to be so when it arrives at a later hour over the next two days ... or if it is even allocated the same remote stand.

 

KC Sim

[flee 5]

That 10.00 am flight is now flying over Malaysia

 

[Teo 0]

saw an A350 at changi airport today

[flee 5]

A350 begins south-east Asian flight tests

Airbus's fifth aircraft in its A350 test fleet, MSN5, has commenced a series of flight tests between Singapore and Hong Kong.

The series of function and reliability tests will look at how the the A350-900 will perform in typical airline service, with an emphasis on short turnarounds, operating in hot, tropical conditions, and the impact of the environment on aircraft systems.

On a 29 July flight, the aircraft departed Singapore during mid-morning with about 51t of fuel, and took over 5h to fly to Hong Kong.

The flight time was exceptionally long because the aircraft took a long detour up the western side of the Malay peninsula, before turning east and flying out over the South China Sea.

More here:

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a350-begins-south-east-asian-flight-tests-402127/

[flee 5]

Airbus A350XWB: On board the world's newest passenger jet

 

(CNN) -- Takeoff on one of Airbus' new A350WXB test planes is a strangely quiet experience.

Powered by two hulking Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines, you'd expect to hear more than just a low whirring noise when tearing down the runway.

Full report n photos: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/30/travel/aviation-airbus-a350xwb/

[flee 5]

KC, lucky guy, was on board. Here is his video!

 

[flee 5]

http://youtu.be/E15EoWAEaxk

[Johan Z 0]

At 2:35, they use Malaysian flag instead of Singaporean.

[Waiping 12]

At 2:35, they use Malaysian flag instead of Singaporean.

I wonder why?

[Johan Z 0]

Lack of research comes to mind.

[flee 5]

Airbus’s A350 is pitched to take sales from Boeing’s Dreamliner but is wider, greener and quieter

 

IT WAS met with much less of the fanfare, plane spotters and large crowds that greeted the world’s largest passenger jet, the Airbus A380, that first touched down at Sydney Airport nine years ago.

Many of the Sydneysiders normally rattled by the procession of international flights that fly into Sydney Airport after 6am may also have failed to have noticed the early morning arrival of the world’s newest passenger jet, the A350 XWB.

But the French-based maker of the jetliner, nicknamed by some enthusiasts as the “hush jet”, have promised the A350 is just as revolutionary for air travel as the A380 promised to be a decade ago.

Aside from 53 per cent of the A350s airframe being made up of super-light carbon fibre reinforced plastic, compared to 50 per cent for its direct rival the Boeing 787, the main selling point is the width of the aircraft.

Full report and lots of photos: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/airbuss-a350-is-pitched-to-take-sales-from-boeings-dreamliner-but-is-wider-greener-and-quieter/story-fni0cx12-1227014149332?nk=e0b642142f1d8e4b441732de43b90755

 

[flee 5]

Photo: Airbus

Airbus A350 Set to Complete Final Tests, Gear Up for First Deliveries

Airliner Expects Regulatory Approval Next Month, Deliveries to Begin in Fourth Quarter

By ROBERT WALL

Aug. 12, 2014 1:29 p.m. ET

LONDON—An Airbus Group NV A350 jetliner is poised to land at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening in Toulouse, France, marking the end of an intense 14-month phase of flight trials as the European plane maker prepares to hand over to airlines its rebuttal to the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner.

Much hard work lies ahead though. Airbus has promised investors it will start making a profit on the new jet in just a few years, after failing to do so on the A380 superjumbo seven years after its first delivery.

The touchdown at the company's home airport completes the jetliner's graduation exercise, during which crew had to demonstrate to safety authorities the plane is ready for commercial use.

"We didn't discover anything we didn't know about," said Fernando Alonso, senior vice president for flight testing at Airbus. "The airplane is perfectly fit to go into service tomorrow." The so-called route-proving phase that runs 300 hours began July 24 and spanned the globe, covering 13 countries from New Zealand to Finland.

For Airbus, the focus now shifts to demonstrating it can build the jets without the missteps that had derailed the A380 superjumbo. Producing the double-decker proved more difficult than expected, causing massive delays and cost overruns.

Boeing also encountered large setbacks in building its 787 Dreamliner. Analysts say it still costs the Chicago-based company tens of millions of dollars more to build each plane than it sells for, though the program is profitable by Boeing's accounting standards, which allow it to spread its forecast costs over 1,300 deliveries, effectively booking future profit in today's earnings.

Completing flight testing of the A350-900, the first version to enter airline service, is a major milestone for Airbus as it seeks to level the competitive playing field with Boeing. Airbus launched the A350 in 2006 after a design introduced in 2004 was rebuffed by buyers for being too small. The European plane maker designed the new model to take on not only the Dreamliner, but also Boeing's well-selling 777 long-range jet.

After reaching parity with Boeing in the market for narrow-bodies, Airbus has bet heavily on the A350 to do the same in the long-range jet market its U.S. rival has dominated.

With flight testing mostly complete, Airbus still has to complete paperwork to submit to the Cologne, Germany-based European Aviation Safety Agency before the regulator signs off on the jet. EASA, whose technical experts have flown the plane, are expected to give their stamp of approval next month.

Delivery to Qatar Airways Ltd., the biggest buyer of the long-haul jet with 80 on order, would follow in the fourth quarter. Airbus, which has spent more than $15 billion to develop the A350, has booked more than 700 orders for the plane from 38 customers, its highest total ever for a new jet that has yet to enter service.

The European plane maker has had commercial setbacks with the new plane. Emirates Airline, the world's largest carrier by international traffic, canceled an order for 70 A350s in June. Weak demand for the smallest version, the A350-800, has prompted Airbus to effectively walk away from the model and instead upgrade its existing A330 widebody.

Flight testing of the A350 began on June 14, 2013. The fleet of five aircraft has logged about 2,500 hours in the air, almost exactly matching what Airbus forecast. Three of the flight-test planes will soon be taken out of service to be refurbished and sold.

"Flight testing seems to have gone well. The A350 is largely past its development-and-testing phase and most of that risk can be retired," said Nick Cunningham, an analyst at Agency Partners. "The next challenge is to bring A350 into service and then to ramp up production."

The first eight production aircraft are already in final assembly and by year-end, planes for Vietnam Airlines and Finnair will also be in build, Airbus chief executive officer Tom Enders said on July 30. On the A380 superjumbo, Airbus's last major new-plane program, development delays were compounded by big missteps in production that set back a program that has yet to turn profitable.

"This is a critical period and that will be a critical period for some time still to come," Enders said. Airbus plans to build 10 A350s each month in 2018.

Airbus also is trying to avoid other A380 missteps. When the superjumbo entered service, pilots became confused by an abundance of alerts and spurious fault warnings. Operators of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner have had similar complaints.

Airbus tried to eliminate those bugs earlier than usual. None of the route-proving flights were delayed, Mr. Alonso said, and only one communications device had to be replaced. Nuisance messages that cropped up are due to be addressed before Qatar Airways starts flying the plane.

"Of course I remain prudent," Mr. Alonso said. "No matter how much testing has been done, the airplane will be exposed to other things by airlines."

Source: WSJ

Edited August 14, 2014 by flee

[flee 5]

Airbus A350 XWB completes its Route Proving World Tour

 

 

On track towards Type Certification in Q3 this year

14 AUGUST 2014 PRESS RELEASE

The world’s newest Widebody airliner, the Airbus A350-900, has successfully completed a series of Route Proving trials, receiving an enthusiastic welcome at each of the 14 cities it has visited over the past three weeks. At the technical Route Proving the aircraft must demonstrate its readiness for airline operations on a global scale. This last series of trials is required for Type Certification, which is expected in Q3 this year.

The A350 XWB completed its Route Proving after landing in Toulouse, France on August 13th (17:00 UTC) coming from Helsinki, Finland. The exercise took the flight test aircraft, MSN 005, across the globe on an impressive 20-day trip flying over the North Pole, each ocean and stopping at 14 major international airports world-wide. During its World Tour, the aircraft flew approximately 81,700 nm /151,300 km in some 180 flight hours, with all flights performing on schedule. The aircraft was operated by Airbus flight crews as well as Qatar flight crews on the route from Doha to Perth, Moscow and Helsinki. The Airworthiness Authority pilots from the European Aviation Safety Agency also participated and flew the aircraft on two legs.

A major highlight was the trip from Johannesburg Tambo International Airport, located at 5,558 feet (1,694m) above sea level, to Sydney, demonstrating the A350’s excellent performance at high altitude airports. The flights from Johannesburg to Sydney and Auckland to Santiago de Chile demonstrated also its capability to fly ultra-long-haul routes or Extended range Twin Operations (ETOPS).

“The aircraft has performed remarkably well confirming the high level of maturity that it has been demonstrating all the way during our development and certification tests. We are set for the Type Certification in the coming weeks, as planned”, said Fernando Alonso, Senior Vice President Flight & Integration Tests, and added: “I truly believe that the aircraft is fit to enter into service and perform to the expectations of our Customers.”

The technical Route Proving commenced on July 24th in Toulouse/France and comprised the following destinations: Frankfurt, Singapore and Hong-Kong. On the third trip, the aircraft visited Johannesburg, Sydney, followed by Auckland, Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo. The fourth and final journey included Perth followed by Doha, Moscow and Helsinki.

At each destination, the A350 XWB performed as expected and on schedule. Checks were made on standard maintenance as well as typical airport operations and compatibility. The automatic landing capability of the A350 XWB was also successfully demonstrated during a local flight performed at Johannesburg.

The A350 XWB is the latest addition to the market-leading Airbus Widebody product line. Offering its customers a 25% reduction in fuel-burn, the all-new mid-size long-range A350 XWB Family comprises three versions from 276 to 369 seats. The A350 has carbon fibre fuselage and wings and sets new standards in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. At the end of June 2014, the A350 XWB had won 742 orders from 38 customers worldwide.

Source: Airbus

Airbus A350 Ends Flight Tests, Paving Way for Deliveries

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-13/airbus-a350-ends-flight-tests-paving-way-for-deliveries.html

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Airbus reveals the first commercial A350 aircraft.

 

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[zeqa 1]

beautiful.looks a lot like the dreamliner

[Johan Z 0]

I like the racoon eyes. Hope more airlines will have it that way.