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Latest Airbus airliner undertakes test programme at Johannesburg

22nd August 2014

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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European airliner manufacturer Airbus’s latest design, the A350 XWB, recently completed a short period of flight tests in South Africa. The aircraft involved, the MSN5, was undertaking route proving trials in order to demonstrate the new type’s readiness to carry out scheduled airline operations. These are the final set of tests necessary for the A350 XWB to receive its type certification, which is expected to happen soon.

The aircraft arrived at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday, August 4. After landing, it was directed to its parking stand by a woman marshall official of Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), in recognition of Women’s Month. During its time in South Africa, the MSN5 carried out a number of high-altitude airfield instrumented approaches and auto-landings. OR Tambo is situated 1 694 m above sea level and can also experience relatively high temperatures.

The visit to Johannesburg formed part of the third of four route proving flights and originated in Toulouse (France). After the stop in South Africa, the aircraft flew on to Sydney (Australia), then Auckland (New Zealand), Santiago (Chile), São Paulo (Brazil) and from there back to Toulouse. The OR Tambo element of the programme took place with the cooperation of Acsa, the Air Traffic Navigation Service, South African Airways Technical and Menzies Aviation.

“We are pleased to be selected as the first airport on the continent to host the latest addition to the Airbus family,” said Acsa CEO Bongani Maseko. “The decision by Airbus to run test flights of their new jetliner at our facilities is testimony to the confidence the company has shown in our infrastructure and our capability as an airport management authority. Such flights are used to test compatibility of the aircraft with existing airport and air traffic management infrastructure, systems and processes.”

There are five flight test and development A350 XWBs, all belonging to the launch version of the family, the A350-900. The MSN5 is one of two fitted with fully functional passenger cabins, each with 42 business class and 223 economy class seats. The series of route-proving flights started on July 24. The four separate missions incorporated visits to 14 airports across different continents and countries. In addition to those already mentioned, these were Iqualuit, in Canada, Frankfurt (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Moscow (Russia), Doha (Qatar), Hong Kong (China), and Singapore and Perth (Australia). The first mission, to Iqualuit, saw the aircraft overfly the North Pole. On all these flights, the MSN5 was flown by Airbus flight crews accompanied by European Aviation Safety Agency pilots.

In a typical two-class layout, an A350-900 will be able to carry 315 passengers. The other two members of the family will be the larger A350-1000 (369 passengers) and the smaller A350-800 (276 passengers). From the end of June, 742 A350 XWBs were on order from 38 customers. The launch customer for the aircraft is Qatar Airways.

The A350 XWB is a new-generation airliner family, manufactured mainly from composites. These account for 53% (by weight) of the aircraft. It will cut fuel expenditure by 25%. One of the companies manufacturing components for the new airliner is South Africa’s Aerosud.

Aerosud supplies critically important parts for the A350 XWB – the frame clips for the centre fuselage of the aircraft and the track cans for the wings. The frame clips are Class 1 structural composite parts and secure the fuselage skin panels to the fuselage structural framework. The track cans – there are several on each wing – house the drive mechanisms for the leading edge slats, which are a movable part of the wing.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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