History: Airbus A350 XWB

The Airbus A350 XWB is a new family of long-range, twin-engine, wide-body jet airliners under development by Airbus. This is the first aircraft from the European manufacturer that will feature fuselage and wing structures made primarily from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer. According to initial specs released by Airbus it will be able to carry 250 to 350 passengers in a typical three-class seating layout.

While it was originally presented as a successor of the A330 and the A340 now its clear that the Airbus A330 will not be discontinued and will have a NEO variant. The Airbus A350 XWB will compete with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 777 family.

Proposed initially in 2004 with new aerodynamics, new engines and a fuselage that was based on the A330 the plane was redesigned and renamed A350 XWB due to the rejection of the initial proposal by most of the airlines that discussed it with Airbus. The company argues that the Airbus A350 will be more fuel-efficient and will have operating costs up to 8% lower then its main competitor the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is possible due to the A350's larger capacity.

The launch customer for the A350 is Doha based Qatar Airways, which has 80 aircraft of all three variants on order. The development of the aircraft costs Airbus around €12 billion (US$15 billion or £10 billion). The Airbus A350 XWB is scheduled to enter airline service in late 2014 with Qatar Airways.

Development

Background

Production

Design

Technology

Operational Service

Competitors

Deliveries

Accidents

Specifications

Further reading