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Airbus’ five A350 XWB test aircraft, which took to the skies for a milestone formation
flight Sept. 29, have accumulated a combined total of more than 2,600 flight
test hours. Airbus Photo
The world’s latest generation commercial airliner, the A350-900, received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Sept 30, 2014. The certified aircraft is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification will follow shortly.
The EASA A350-900 type certificate was signed by EASA’s executive director, Patrick Ky. The document was handed over to Airbus’ executive vice president engineering, Charles Champion and Airbus’ A350 XWB chief engineer, Gordon McConnell.
“Receiving the A350-900 type certification from EASA is a great achievement for Airbus and for all our partners who have contributed to designing, building and certificating this fantastic, new generation aircraft. The A350-900 is now ready to fly from the nest and be enjoyed by airlines and passengers,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president and CEO. “The A350 XWB embodies many extra innovative technologies which make all the difference in passenger comfort and airline efficiency.”
“The A350 XWB manufacturing program has also been innovative and ambitious, aiming for a fully mature aircraft at entry into service and this is what we are proud to be delivering to our first A350 XWB customer, Qatar Airways, before the end of the year. Our fleet of five test aircraft completed the certification campaign, on time, cost and quality. Accumulating more than 2,600 flight test hours, we created and successfully achieved one of the industry’s most thorough and efficient test programs ever developed for a jetliner,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president and CEO.
The A350-900 type certification comes after successfully finishing a stringent program of certification trials which has taken its airframe and systems well beyond their design limits to ensure all airworthiness criteria are fully met.
The A350 XWB is Airbus’ all-new mid-size long range product line and the newest member of Airbus’ leading widebody family. The A350 XWB stands out in its class thanks to its combination of passenger comfort, technological innovation and its unique industrial process. Built hand-in-hand with our customers, the A350 XWB sets new standards in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. At the end of May 2014, the A350 XWB had won 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide.
