Airbus A350

Airbus A350
Airbus A350 XWB concept on Etihad Airways livery
Role Wide-body jet airliner
National origin European Union
Manufacturer Airbus
First flight 2012 (scheduled)
Introduction 2013 (scheduled)
Status Under development
Unit cost A350-800: $208.7 million
A350-900: $240.6 million
A350-1000: $269.6 million[1]

The Airbus A350 is a long-range, mid-size, wide-body family of airliners currently under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The A350 will be the first Airbus with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.[2] The A350 is designed to compete with the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 787. Airbus claims that it will be more fuel-efficient, with up to 8% lower operating cost than the Boeing 787.[2] It is scheduled to enter into airline service in 2013. The launch customer for the Airbus A350 is Qatar Airways, which ordered 80 of all three variants.[3] Development costs are projected to be US$15 billion.[4]

Contents

Development

Early designs

When Boeing announced its 787 Dreamliner project, it claimed the lower operating costs of this aircraft would make it a serious threat to the Airbus A330. In public announcements, Airbus initially rejected this claim, stating that the 787 was itself just a reaction to the A330, and that no response was needed to the 787.

The airlines pushed Airbus to provide a competitor, as Boeing had committed the 787 to have 20% lower fuel consumption than the Boeing 767. At first, Airbus proposed a simple derivative of the A330, unofficially dubbed the 'A330-200Lite', with improved aerodynamics and engines similar to those on the 787. The airlines were not satisfied, and Airbus committed €4 billion to a new design to be called the A350. The original version of the A350 superficially resembled the A330 due to its common fuselage cross-section and assembly. A new wing, engines and a horizontal stabiliser were to be coupled with new composite materials and production methods applied to the fuselage to make the A350 an almost all-new aircraft.

On 16 September 2004, then-Airbus president and CEO Noël Forgeard confirmed that a new project was under consideration, but did not give a project name, and would not state whether it would be an entirely new design or a modification of an existing product. Forgeard indicated that Airbus would finalise its concept by the end of 2004, begin consulting with airlines in early 2005, and aim to launch the new development programme at the end of that year. On 10 December 2004, the boards of EADS and BAE Systems, then the shareholders of Airbus, gave Airbus an "authorisation to offer (ATO)", and formally named it the A350.[5]

On 6 October 2005, full industrial launch of the program was announced with an estimated development cost of around € 3.5 billion. This version of the A350 was planned to be a 250– to 300-seat twin-engine wide-body aircraft derived from the design of the existing A330. Under this plan, the A350 would have modified wings and new engines, while sharing the same fuselage cross-section as its predecessor. As a result of a controversial design, the fuselage was to consist primarily of Al-Li, rather than the CFRP fuselage on the 787. It was to see entry into service in 2010 in two versions: the A350-800 capable of flying 8,800 nmi (16,300 km) with typical passenger capacity of 253 in 3-class configuration and the 300-seat (3-class) A350-900 with 7,500 nmi (13,900 km) range. It was designed to be a direct competitor to the 787-9, and 777-200ER.

Almost immediately, Airbus faced criticism on the A350 project by the heads of two of its largest customers, ILFC and GECAS. On 28 March 2006, in the presence of hundreds of top airline executives, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, of ILFC lambasted Airbus' strategy in bringing to market what they saw as "a Band-aid reaction to the 787," a sentiment that was echoed by GECAS president Henry Hubschman. Udvar-Hazy called on Airbus to bring a clean-sheet design to the table, or risk losing most of the market to Boeing.[6][7]

Several days later, similar comments were made by Chew Choon Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines. Chew stated, "having gone to the trouble of designing a new wing, tail, cockpit" and adding advanced new materials, Airbus "should have gone the whole hog and designed a new fuselage."[8] At the time, Singapore was reviewing bids for the 787 and A350.

Airbus responded by stating it was considering improvements for the A350 to satisfy customer demands.[9] At the same time, Airbus then-CEO Gustav Humbert suggested that there would be no quick fixes, stating, "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."[10]

On 13 June, 2006 (Paris Airshow), Qatar Airways announced that it has placed an order for 60 A350 aircraft. In September 2006 Qatar Airways signed an MoU with General Electric to launch the GEnx-1A-72 for the aircraft.[11][12][13]

On 14 June 2006, Singapore Airlines announced it had selected the 787 over the A350, ordering 20 787-9s.[14] Emirates Airline decided against making an order for the initial version of the A350 because of weaknesses in the design,[15] but has since made a large order for A350 XWBs.[16] The A350 was redesigned after Emirates shipped a triple seat row to Toulouse where it did not fit in the existing A350 mockup.[17]

XWB

Interior mock-up of the Business Class Of the A350 XWB.

As a result of these criticisms, in mid-2006 Airbus undertook a major review of the A350 concept. The proposed new A350 with a larger fuselage cross-section has become more of a competitor to the larger Boeing 777 as well as some models of the Boeing 787. The A350 fuselage can accommodate 10 passengers per row in a high-density configuration.[18] The A330 and previous iterations of the A350 would only be able to accommodate 8 passengers per row in normal configurations. The 787 can accommodate 8 or 9 passengers per row, while the 777 can accommodate 9 passengers per row (a few airlines seat 10 passengers abreast in some of their 777s). From the point of view of a seated passenger, the A350 cabin is 13 cm (5.1 in) wider at eye level than the competing 787, and 28 cm (11 in) narrower than the Boeing 777, its other competitor. (See wide-body aircraft for a comparison of cabin widths and seating). All A350 passenger models will have a range of at least 8,000 nmi (15,000 km).

There was some speculation that the revised aircraft would be called the Airbus A370 or A280, with Airbus going as far as accidentally publishing an advert referring to the aircraft as the "A280" on the Financial Times website. However, on 17 July 2006, at the Farnborough Airshow, Airbus announced that the redesigned aircraft would be called A350 XWB (Xtra-Wide-Body).

Airbus achieved its first sale of the redesigned A350 four days after its unveiling when Singapore Airlines announced an order for 20 A350 XWBs with options of a further 20. Its CEO, Chew Choon Seng, said in a statement, that "it is heartening that Airbus has listened to customer airlines and has come up with a totally new design for the A350."[19]

Late in 2006, a decision on formal launch was delayed as a result of delays of the Airbus A380[20] and wrangles about how the development would be funded. EADS CEO Thomas Enders stated that the A350 program was not a certainty, citing EADS/Airbus' stretched resources.[21][22] On 1 December 2006 the EADS board agreed the industrial launch of the sixth iteration of the A350 [23] with costs mainly borne out of cash-flow. First delivery for the -900 is scheduled for mid-2013, with the -800 and -1000 following on, respectively, 12 and 24 months later.[24] At a press conference 4 December 2006 a few new technical details of the A350 XWB design were revealed, but no new customers were identified and John Leahy indicated existing A350 contracts were under re-negotiation due to increases in prices compared to the original A350s contracted.

On 4 January 2007, Airbus announced that Pegasus Aviation Finance Company had placed the first firm order for the A350 XWB with an order for two aircraft, though the variants were unspecified at the time.[25]

The Airbus board of directors approved the industrial launch of the A350-800, -900 and -1000 in December 2006. The XWB will impose a couple of years of delay into the original timetable and almost double development costs from $5.3 billion to approximately $10 billion.[26][27] The total development cost for the A350 is estimated at US$15 billion by Reuters.[4] Although the mid-2013 delivery date of the A350 remains unchanged, longer than anticipated development activities for the aircraft have forced Airbus to delay the final assembly and first flight of the aircraft to Q3 2011 and Q2 2012 respectively. As such, flight testing will be compressed from the original 15 months to a 12 month schedule. However, A350 program chief Didier Evrard stressed that the delays only affect the A350-900 and that the A350-800 and A350-1000 schedules remain unchanged.[28] In August 2010, Bernstein Research suggested that the first deliveries might be postponed into 2014 and that only eight might be delivered that year.[29]

Design

In September 2007, Airbus rolled out new design advances to a gathering of 100 representatives from existing and potential XWB customers. The A350 XWB will be built on the technologies developed for Airbus A380 and will have a similar cockpit and fly-by-wire systems layout.[30] The A350XWB will be made out of 53% composites, 19% Al/Al-Li, 14% titanium, 6% steel and 8% miscellaneous.[31] This compares to the Boeing 787, which consists of 50% composites, 20% aluminium, 15% titanium, 10% steel and 5% the balance.[32] October 2008 was the Airbus internal goal to freeze the design and Airbus expects 10% lower airframe maintenance cost and 14% lower empty seat weight than competing aircraft.[2]

Airbus claims that the new design provides a better cabin atmosphere with 20% humidity level during flight and typical cabin altitude at or below 6,000 ft (1,800 m), pressurization at 6,000 ft (1,800 m) and flow management system that adapts cabin airflow to passenger load with draft-free air circulation.[2] Airbus is aiming to certify the A350 with 350min ETOPS capability upon service entry.[33]

Fuselage

Standard nine-abreast configuration mock-up of the economy class of the A350.

The new XWB fuselage will have a constant width from door 1 to door 4, unlike previous Airbus aircraft to provide maximum usable volume. The double-lobe (ovoid) fuselage cross-section will have a maximum outer diameter of 5.97 m (19.6 ft), compared to 5.64 m (18.5 ft) for the A330/A340. The cabin's internal diameter will be 5.61 m (18.4 ft) wide at armrest level compared with 5.49 m (18.0 ft) of the 787[34] and 5.86 m (19.2 ft) of the 777).

In the eight-abreast 2-4-2 arrangement, which is a premium economy layout, the seats will be 49.5 cm (19.5 in) wide between 5 cm (2.0 in) wide arm rests. Airbus claims that the seat width will be 1.3 cm (0.5 in) greater than the seat on the 787 in the equivalent configuration. In the 9-abreast, 3-3-3 standard layout, the XWB's seat width will be 45 cm (18 in) which will be 1.3 cm (0.5 in) wider than the proposed equivalent seat layout for the Boeing 787.[2][34] A 10-abreast high density is also available.[18]

Although Airbus previously suggested Boeing's use of composite materials for the 787 fuselage was premature, and that the original A350s would be made from aluminium-lithium, the new A350 XWB will feature large carbon fibre panels for the main fuselage skin. After facing criticism for maintenance costs,[35] Airbus confirmed in early September 2007 the adoption of composite fuselage frames for the aircraft structure.[36][37] The composite frames will feature aluminium strips to ensure the electrical continuity of the fuselage (for dissipating lightning strikes).[38] However, the fuselage crossbeams remain metallic, but Airbus is running trade-off studies to evaluate switching them to composite.

Airbus had signed a firm contract with BMW for development of an interior concept for the original A350.[39]

On February 4, 2010, Airbus signed a contract for delivering in-flight entertainment and communication (IFEC) systems for the Airbus A350 XWB with Panasonic Avionics Corporation.

Airbus will use a full mock up fuselage to develop the wiring, a different approach than the A380, on which the wiring was all done on computers.[40]

Wings

The A350 will feature new all-composite wings that will be common to all three proposed variants.[41] With an area of 443 m2 (4,770 sq ft)[42] it will be the largest wing ever produced for a single-deck widebody aircraft. The geometric wingspan of 64.8 m (213 ft)[42] is 4.5 m (15 ft) greater than that of the A330. This is the same span as the long-range Boeing 777-200LR/777-300ER, which has slightly less area. The new wing will have 31.9-degree sweep[42] (1.9 degrees more than the A330) helping to increase typical cruise speed to Mach 0.85 and maximum operating speed to Mach 0.89.

A new trailing-edge high-lift system has been adopted with an advanced dropped-hinge flap (similar to that of the A380), which permits the gap between the trailing edge and the flap to be closed with the spoiler.[43] The manufacturer has extensively used computational fluid dynamics and also carried out more than 4,000h hours of low- and high-speed windtunnel testing to refine the aerodynamic design,[44] achieving the final configuration of wing and winglet on the "Maturity Gate 5" on 17 December 2008.[45]

Airbus is planning a £570 million (US$760 million) investment to upgrade composite capability at its Broughton site in the United Kingdom, in preparation for its role as final assembly location for the A350 XWB wing.[46] In June 2009, the Welsh Assembly announced provision of a £28million grant to provide a training centre, production jobs and money towards the new production centre.[47]

Nose

The XWB's nose section will adopt a configuration derived from the A380 with a forward-mounted nosegear bay and a six-panel flightdeck windscreen.[48] This differs substantially from the four-window arrangement in the original design. The new nose will improve aerodynamics and enable overhead crew rest areas to be installed further forward and eliminate any encroachment in the passenger cabin. The new windscreen has been revised to improve vision by reducing the width of the center post. The upper shell radius of the nose section has been increased. The nose bears a resemblance to the nose of the BAe 146.

A350XWB new nose and general interior arrangement.

The nose is likely to be constructed from aluminium but Airbus is currently running trade-off studies considering one-piece carbon fibre structure. According to Gordon McConnell, A350 Chief Engineer, a carbon fibre structure would need titanium reinforcements for birdstrike protection, thus the aluminium structure is the best cost-wise.[49]

Cockpit

The revised design of the cockpit dropped the A380-sized display and adopted 15 in (38 cm) LCD screens. The new six-screen configuration will have two central displays mounted one above the other (the lower one above the thrust levers) and a single (for each pilot) primary flight/navigation display with an on-board information system screen adjacent to it.[50] Airbus claims the new cockpit will allow advances in navigation technology to be placed on the displays in the future plus flexibility and capacity to upload new software and to combine data from multiple sources and sensors for flight management and aircraft systems control.[51] The A350 XWB will also feature a head-up display.

The avionics will be a further development of the integrated modular avionics (IMA) concept found on the A380. The A350's IMA will manage up to 40 functions (versus 23 functions for the A380) such as landing gear, fuel, brakes, pneumatics, oxygen system, cabin pressurisation system, and fire detection.[51] Airbus claims benefits such as reduced maintenance and less weight because IMA replaces multiple processors and LRUs with around 50% fewer standard computer modules known as line-replaceable modules. The IMA runs on a 100-Mbit/s network based on the avionics full-duplex (AFDX) standard, already employed in the A380 instead of the Arinc 429 system on the A330/A340.

In January 2008, French-based Thales Group won the US$2.9 billion 20-year contract to supply avionics and navigation equipment for the A350 XWB. Thales competed against Honeywell and Rockwell Collins for the flight deck supply contract.[52] However, 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 will include several new safety features.[53]

Engines

Airbus has confirmed that it will further develop a full bleed air system on the engines,[54][55][56] rather than the bleedless configuration used on the Boeing 787. Rolls-Royce has agreed with Airbus to supply a new variant of the Trent engine for the A350 XWB, currently called the Trent XWB. After the low-speed windtunnel test, Airbus has frozen the static thrust at sea level for all three proposed variants in the 75,000–93,000 lbf (330–410 kN) range.[57] Airbus will begin a flight-test programme of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB using the superjumbo A380 development aircraft in early 2011, ahead of engine certification at the end of 2011. The first engine test on the Trent was made in June 2010 [2].

GE has stated it will 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.[58] Fellow Engine Alliance partner Pratt & Whitney seems to be at odds with GE on this, publicly stating that it is looking at an advanced derivative of the GP7000.[59] In April 2007, Airbus former chief executive Louis Gallois held face-to-face talks with senior General Electric management over developing a new variant of the GEnx engine for the A350 XWB.[60]

In June 2007, Rolls-Royce announced that it had signed its biggest ever contract with Qatar Airways for the Trent XWB to power 80 A350 XWBs on order from Airbus worth $5.6 billion at list prices,[61] and in June 2007, Airbus' Chief Operating Officer John Leahy indicated that the A350 XWB will not feature the GEnx engine, claiming that Airbus wants GE to offer a more efficient version for the new Airbus airliner.[62] Since then, largest GE engines operators Emirates Airline, US-based US Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and ILFC have selected the RR Trent XWB for their future fleet of A350.

The Trent XWB family comprises two basic engines to power the three A350 variants. The baseline 84,000lb-thrust (374kN) version for the A350-900 will be derated to 75,000lb and 79,000lb for the -800, while an upgraded 93,000lb thrust version will power the A350-1000. The higher rating 93,000lb engine will have some modifications to the fan module - it will be the same 118in diameter but will run slightly faster and have a new fan blade design - and some increases in temperatures brought by new materials technologies coming from its research programmes. The basic 248t MTOW -800 will be offered with a 75,000lb sea level thrust rating, while the 279t MTOW option will have 79,000lb thrust. Airbus also plan to offer a 'hot and high' rating option flat-rated at 79,000lb at higher altitudes and temperatures which uses the full capability of the -900's 84,000Ib thrust engine prompted by the operating requirements for Middle Eastern launching customers Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad.[63]

The Trent XWB will feature a 3-meter (118 inch) fan diameter and the design will be based on the advanced developments of the Trent 900 (Airbus A380) and Trent 1000 (Boeing 787). The Trent XWB may also benefit from the next-generation reduced acoustic mode scattering engine duct system (RAMSES), which is a noise-dampening engine nacelle intake and a carry-on design of the Airbus's "zero splice" intake liner developed for the A380.[64] Engine thrust-reversers and nacelles will be supplied by US-based Goodrich Corporation.

In May 2009, GE said that if it reaches a deal with Airbus to offer the current 787-optimised GEnx for the A350, it will only power the -800 and -900 variants. GE believes it can offer a product that outperforms the Trent 1000 and Trent XWB, but has been reluctant to support an airframe that competes directly with the GE90-115B-powered 777 variants.[65]

Auxiliary power unit and air management system

The A350 XWB will feature a 1,700 shp (1,300 kW) HGT1700 auxiliary power unit by Honeywell, which has 10% greater power density than the previous generation of Honeywell's 331 APU family. Honeywell will also supply the air management system: the bleed air, environmental control, cabin pressure control and supplemental cooling systems.[66] The ram-air turbine will be supplied by Hamilton Sundstrand and will be located in the lower surface of the fuselage.[67] The generator requirement for the ram air turbine is 100 kVA compared to 150 kVA for the A380.

Fuel and hydraulic systems

US-based Parker Hannifin has been selected to supply the complete fuel package: inerting system, fuel measurement and management systems, mechanical equipment and fuel pumps. The fuel tank inerting system will feature air-separation modules to generate nitrogen-enriched air that will be used to reduce the flammability of fuel vapour in the tanks.

Parker will also provide hydraulic power generation and distribution system: reservoirs, manifolds, accumulators, thermal control, isolation, software and new engine- and electric motor-driven pump designs. Parker estimates the contracts will generate more than US$2 billion in revenues over the life of the programme.[68]

Landing gear

Airbus adopted a new philosophy for the attachment of the A350’s main landing gear as part of the switch to a composite wing structure. Each main landing gear leg is attached to the rear wing spar forward and to a gear beam aft, which itself is attached to the wing and the fuselage. To help reduce the loads further into the wing, a double side-stay configuration has been adopted. This solution resembles the design of the Vickers VC10.[69]

Airbus devised a three-pronged main landing gear design philosophy encompassing both four- and six-wheel bogies to ensure it can keep the pavement loading within limits. The A350-800 and A350-900 will both have four-wheel bogies, although the -800's will be slightly shorter to save weight. Both will fit in the same 4.1 m (13 ft) long bay. The proposed higher weight variant, the A350-1000 (and the A350-900R, which is being proposed to British Airways, with -900 size but with sufficient fuel capacity to allow nonstop London-Sydney flights) will use a six-wheel bogey, with a 4.7 m (15 ft) landing gear bay.[70] French-based Messier-Dowty will provide the main landing gear. The nose gear will be supplied by Liebherr-Aerospace.[71]

Variants

A350 variants

There are three variants of the A350 and all were launched in 2006. The A350-900 is scheduled to enter service in 2013. The A350-800 is scheduled to enter service in 2014. The A350-1000 is scheduled to enter service at the end of 2015.[72][73] All variants will also be offered as corporate jets by wholly-owned subsidiary Airbus Executive and Private Aviation. Construction of the first A350-900 center wingbox is set to start in August 2010.[74] As development continues, Airbus plans to decrease structural weight in the -800, which should be around airframe 20. [75]

A350-800

The A350-800 will seat 270 passengers in a 3-class cabin 9-abreast layout and will have a range of 15,400 km (8,300 nmi).[42] It is designed to compete with the Boeing 787-9 and to directly replace the Airbus A330-200. In January 2010, Airbus announced that the -800 would be developed as a simple shrink of the -900, incorporating minor changes to the systems and structure and share more hardware with the -900 rather than as an optimised variant as was previously planned. This increased commonality will allow a higher maximum takeoff weight, which will increase the range (or payload) of the A350-800 compared to initial plans. The change will increase fuel burn by "a few per cent", according to the programme's marketing head, Sophie Pendaries.[76] The -800's fuselage is 10 frames shorter (six forward and four aft) compared to the -900 aircraft.

The baseline -800 will be offered with an MTOW of 248 tonne, MLW of 190t, MZFW of 178t, and 75,000 lb thrust engines. An optional 11 tonne increase in MTOW, to 259t with a corresponding increase of MZFW to 181t, MLW to 193t, and a higher thrust 84,000 lb engine (common with -900 engine thrust) was announced by Airbus in April 2010 to be made available for customers as an option. While the increased weights compensate for the increased empty weight of the aircraft and associated minor fuel burn penalty due to maintaining commonality with -900, it also resulted in an increase in the aircraft maximum structural payload capability by 3 tonne or 248nm of additional range.[77][78]

A350-900

The A350-900 is the first model scheduled to enter service (EIS) in 2013 and seats 314 passengers in a 3-class cabin 9-abreast layout. It has a standard design range target of 15,000 km (8,100 nmi). Airbus claim that the A350-900 will have a decrease of 16% MWE per seat, a 30% decrease in block fuel per seat and 25% better cash operating cost against the Boeing 777-200ER.[79] The -900R and -900F variants also have been proposed but not yet launched. These are to feature the higher engine thrust, strengthened structure and landing gear of the -1000.[70] Range of the "standard" A350-900R was estimated to 17,600 km (9,500 nmi), which would be boosted to about 19,100 km (10,315 nmi) by these design improvements to compete with the Boeing 777-200LR and be capable for Non-stop flight from London-Heathrow to Auckland. The -900 is designed to compete with the Boeing 777-200ER and replace the Airbus A340-300.

A350-1000

The A350-1000, which has an 11-frame stretch over the -900, is scheduled to enter service at the end of 2015.[73] It is the largest variant of the A350 family and will seat 350 passengers in a 3-class cabin 9-abreast layout.[80] It will have range of 14,800 km (8,000 nmi). It is designed to compete with the Boeing 777-300ER and replace the A340-600.

The A350-1000 will feature a slightly larger wing than the -800/900 models; a trailing-edge extension increasing its area by 4%. This will extend the high-lift devices and the ailerons, making the chord bigger by around 400mm, optimising flap lift performance as well as cruise performance.[73]

Orders and deliveries

As of August 2010, 33 customers have placed 528 firm orders for the A350XWB.[81]

A350-800 A350-900 A350-1000 TBD Total firm orders
168 285 75 558

Source: Airbus orders data[81]

Orders and deliveries by year

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
Net orders 20 330 133 22 53 558
Deliveries

Specifications

Model A350-800[76] A350-900 A350-900R[82] A350-900F[82] A350-1000
Scheduled service entry late-2014 late-2013 2016[83] 2017[83] Late-2015
Cockpit crew Two
Seating, typical 3-class: 270
2-class: 276-312		 3-class: 314
2-class: 315-366		 3-class: 310 - 3-class: 350
2-class:369-412
Overall length 60.54 m (198.6 ft) 66.89 m (219.5 ft) 73.88 m (242.4 ft)
Wingspan 64.8 m (213 ft)
Wing area 443 m2 (4,770 sq ft)
Wing sweepback 31.9°
Overall height 17.05 m (55.9 ft)
Fuselage width 5.96 m (19.6 ft)
Fuselage height 6.09 m (20.0 ft)
Cabin width 5.59 m (18.3 ft)
Maximum takeoff weight 259 t (571,000 lb) 268 t (591,000 lb) 298 t (657,000 lb)
Maximum landing weight[78] 193 t (425,000 lb) 205 t (452,000 lb) 233.5 t (515,000 lb)
Maximum zero fuel weight[78] 181 t (399,000 lb) 192 t (423,000 lb) 218.5 t (482,000 lb)
Manufacturer's Empty Weight 118.2 t (260,586.4 lb)[78]
Maximum cargo capacity 28 LD3 or 9 pallets 36 LD3 or 11 pallets 90 t (198,000 lb) 44 LD3 or 14 pallets
Cruise speed Mach 0.85 (903 km/h, 561 mph, 487 knots, at 40,000 ft/12.19 km)
Maximum cruise speed Mach 0.89 (945 km/h, 587 mph, 510 knots, at 40,000 ft/12.19 km)
Maximum Range
(with passengers and baggage)[78]		 15,730 km (8,490 nmi) 15,000 km (8,100 nmi) 17,600 km (9,500 nmi) 9,250 km (4,990 nmi)
Maximum cargo payload		 14,800 km (7,990 nmi)
Maximum fuel capacity 129,000 l (34,100 US gal) 138,000 l (36,500 US gal) 156,000 l (41,200 US gal)
Service ceiling 43,100 ft (13.1 km) 43,100 ft (13.1 km)
Engines (2×) RR Trent XWB
Maximum thrust capability 79,000 lbf (351 kN) 84,000 lbf (374 kN) 93,000 lbf (414 kN)

Sources: Airbus A350-800 specifications,[42] Airbus A350-900 specifications,[84] Airbus A350-1000 specifications[80]

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

References

  1. ↑ Airbus includes surcharge in 2008 catalogue prices
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Taking the lead: A350XWB presentation". http://www.eads.com/xml/content/OF00000000400004/7/19/41508197.pdf. 
  3. ↑ "Aircraft Profile: Airbus A350". Flight Global. http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/airbus%20a350.html. 
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  11. ↑ "Qatar signs MoU to launch GEnx on"
  12. ↑ "Airbus unleashes A350 for long-range twin dogfight"
  13. ↑ "A350 lifts off with $15bn Qatar"
  14. ↑ Singapore Airlines 787 Dreamliner Announcement Press release
  15. ↑ "Pressure mounts following attack by Emirates." Brierley, D. The Independent. 18 June 2006.
  16. ↑ "Emirates Airline buys 70 Airbus A350s and 11 additional A380s." Airbus Press Release Airbus. 11 November 2007.
  17. ↑ Airbus settling on wider fuselage, composite wing as it nears A350 revamp decision | ATW Online
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  19. ↑ Singapore Airlines orders 20 Airbus A350 XWB-900s and 9 Airbus A380s
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  21. ↑ "Airbus May Stop Work on Its A350 Plane, FT Deutschland Says." Dinkloh, P. Bloomberg. 2006-10-05.
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  23. ↑ "Airbus Gets OK to Compete with Boeing 787". Chicago Sun-Times via Aircraft Maintenance Technology. 21 December 2006.
  24. ↑ EADS Airbus (2006-12-01). "A350 XWB Family receives industrial go-ahead". Press release. http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/06_12_01_A350_XWB_go_ahead.html. Retrieved 2006-12-01. 
  25. ↑ EADS Airbus (2007-01-04). "Pegasus Aviation Finance Company orders two A350 and six A330-200s". Press release. http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/01_04_07_Pegausus.html. Retrieved 2007-01-10. 
  26. ↑ "Airbus Unveils New A350 to Take on Boeing's 787." Bloomberg. 17 July 2006.
  27. ↑ "Airbus A350 Cost Rises to $15.4 Billion on Composites." Bloomberg. 4 December 2006.
  28. ↑ Robert Wall. "Airbus Delays A350 Final Assembly Start". Aviation Week. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aviationdaily&id=news/avd/2010/04/20/05.xml&headline=Airbus%20Delays%20A350%20Final%20Assembly%20Start. 
  29. ↑ "Three years before EIS, A350 forecasted to slip to 2014". flightglobal. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2010/08/three-years-before-eis-a350-fo.html. 
  30. ↑ First ever microcutaway of Airbus' A350 XWB, Drawing Flightglobal
  31. ↑ " Airbus to start manufacturing parts for new A350 XWB in late ’09". Engineering News online, 11 May 2009.
  32. ↑ 787 fact sheet Boeing
  33. ↑ Airbus studying 350min ETOPS for A350 at service entry Flightglobal.com
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Airbus unveils mock up XWB cabin Flight International September 2007
  35. ↑ "Airline criticism of A350 forces Airframer to make radical changes to fuselage". Flight International, May 2006.
  36. ↑ "Airbus rolls out XWB design revisions". Flight International, September 2001.
  37. ↑ "Airbus is at a crossroads on A350 design says ILFC". Flight International, March 2006.
  38. ↑ "Metallic strips will ensure electrical continuity in A350 carbon". Flight International, September 2007
  39. ↑ BMW to design parts of Airbus A350 model, reportedly aircraft cabins Forbes. 5 January 2006
  40. ↑ "PICTURE: Airbus builds 'physical mock-up' of XWB fuselage to avoid A380 mistakes". Flightglobal.com. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/30/341328/picture-airbus-builds-physical-mock-up-of-xwb-fuselage-to-avoid-a380-mistakes.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  41. ↑ Why new wing is key A350 XWB. Flight International December 2006
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 A350-800 Specifications, Airbus. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  43. ↑ "Airbus A350 wing aerodynamics advance". Flight International, May 2007.
  44. ↑ "PICTURES: Airbus refines A350 aerodynamic configuration". Flight International, June 2008.
  45. ↑ "Airbus prepares for A350 production following definition freeze". Flight International, January 2009.
  46. ↑ Airbus invest in A350 XWB wing line. Flight International, March 2007.
  47. ↑ "£28m investment at Airbus factory". BBC News. 2009-06-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8107292.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-19. 
  48. ↑ "Airbus confirms switch to A380 style nose for A350 XWB". Flight International, September 2007.
  49. ↑ "A350 could have composite nose". Flight International, December 2006.
  50. ↑ "Airbus reveals all new A350 XWB flightdeck design". Flight International, September 2007.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 "A350 avionics to expand on A380 system". Flight International, July 2007.
  52. ↑ "Airbus selects Thales for A350 XWB cockpit avionics". Flight International January 2008
  53. ↑ "A350 cockpit offers unprecedented suite of safety tools". Flight Global. 2010. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/06/344106/a350-cockpit-offers-unprecedented-suite-of-safety-tools.html. Retrieved 2010-07-18. 
  54. ↑ "Airbus Unveils A350 XWB." Steinke, S. Flug Revue. September, 2006.
  55. ↑ Farnborough: Airbus A350 powerplant race ignites as Rolls-Royce reaches agreement to supply Trent Flight International July 2006
  56. ↑ Patent 20090277445: System For Improving Air Quality In An Aircraft Pressure Cabin AIRBUS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
  57. ↑ [1] R-R prepares to ground-test Trent XWB ahead of A380 trials next year
  58. ↑ Daily News - No GP7000 for A350 XWB-1000
  59. ↑ Singapore 2008: Pratt & Whitney pushes GP7000 as alternative A350 XWB engine
  60. ↑ Norris, Guy. "GEnx variant may yet power A350". Flight International, 24 April 2007.
  61. ↑ "Airbus lobbies General Electric to offer GEnx for A350 XWB". Flight International April 2007
  62. ↑ Airbus Says No To GEnx For A350 XWB Aero News Network 7 June 2007
  63. ↑ Kingsley-Jones, Max (29/04/10). "R-R prepares to ground-test Trent XWB ahead of A380 trials next year". Flight Global. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/29/341141/r-r-prepares-to-ground-test-trent-xwb-ahead-of-a380-trials-next.html. 
  64. ↑ "Airbus A350 XWB set to be quietest generation of airliner as manufacturer improves zero splice". Flight International, January 2007.
  65. ↑ Ostrower, Jon (7/5/09). "GE revives interest in A350 engine ahead of 787 flight test". Flight Global. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/05/07/326164/ge-revives-interest-in-a350-engine-ahead-of-787-flight.html. 
  66. ↑ "Honeywell wins first contract to supply systems for Airbus A350 XWB". Flight International, September 2007.
  67. ↑ "Hamilton Sundstrand to supply Ram Air Turbine for A350 XWB"
  68. ↑ "Parker wins $2 billion system contract for the A350". Flight International, January 2008.
  69. ↑ Airbus adopts VC-10 landing gear concept for A350 XWB. Flight International, May 2007
  70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Extended range A350-900R adopts -1000 six-wheel-gear. Flight International, March 2007
  71. ↑ "Messier-Dowty Confirmed as A350 XWB Main Gear Supplier". Flight International, December 2007.
  72. ↑ Aircraft Profile: Airbus A350. FlightGlobal.com. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 73.2 Airbus opts for larger wing on A350-1000 through trailing edge extension FlightGlobal.com. Retrieved 06 May 2010
  74. ↑ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/29/345481/airbus-aims-to-finally-start-assembling-first-a350-centre-wingbox-in.html
  75. ↑ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/30/345444/airbus-works-to-introduce-lighter-a350-structure-with-800.html
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 "Qatar Airways backs Airbus rethink on A350-800 design". Flightglobal.com. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/15/337132/qatar-airways-backs-airbus-rethink-on-a350-800-design.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
  77. ↑ Airbus focuses on family commonality as it begins A350-800 detailed design FlightGlobal.com. Retrieved 06 May 2010
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 78.4 Flight International 4-10 May 2010 Page 10 "A350-800 takes centre stage"
  79. ↑ John Leahy presentation at Paris Le Bourget 2007 Air Show. Airbus
  80. ↑ 80.0 80.1 A350-1000 Specifications, Airbus. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 "Airbus.com: Orders and Deliveries (XLS)". Airbus S.A.S. http://www.airbus.com/odxml/orders_and_deliveries.xls. 
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 Airbus A350 XWB EADS
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 The Market for Large Commercial Jet Transports Forecast International
  84. ↑ A350-900 Specifications, Airbus. Retrieved 29 May 2010.

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