Airbus A350-XWB development fleet complete
With the first flight on Friday of Airbus’ A350-MSN005, from the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, in France, the aircraft manufacturer’s five-strong A350-XWB development fleet is now complete and on track for certification in the third quarter of this year.
The first customer aircraft would be delivered shortly thereafter to Qatar Airways.
The MSN005 is the fleet’s second passenger cabin-equipped A350 and was tasked with route proving and extended range twin operations validation. It also embodied the operationally definitive configuration for type certification duties.
“As of today, the A350-XWB programme has already achieved more than 2 000 flight-test hours in around 500 flights, demonstrating the highest flying rate ever achieved in Airbus flight tests, with around 80 flight hours per aircraft per month,” the company said in a statement.
South Africa’s Aerosud manufactures the fuselage frame clips, which secure the external body skin panels to the skeletal structure of the aeroplane’s body, for the A350-XWB range of aircraft.
The Centurion-based company also produces wing components for the plane, while Cape Town-based Cobham South Africa manufactures the fleet’s satellite communications antennae.
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