Airbus A350 XWB news

Join this forum to discuss the latest news that happened in the world of commercial aviation.

Moderator: Latest news team

Post Reply
User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Airbus A350 XWB news

Post by sn26567 »

Since there are already threads about several new Boeing aeroplanes (thanks MR_Boeing), I thought it would be interesting to have similar threads on Airbus developments. Let's start with their most ambitions project, the A350.

A350 XWB aft fuselage delivered to final assembly line

Airbus has delivered the aft fuselage for the A350 XWB static test airframe to the final assembly line in Toulouse (France). This final section of the fuselage will be assembled with the front and centre fuselage sections which were joined up in early April.

Image

Assembled at Airbus’ site in Hamburg (Germany), the 20 metre long carbon fibre aft fuselage is made up of the rear fuselage barrel, produced at Airbus’ Getafe plant (Spain), two lateral aft fuselage panels made by Premium AEROTEC (Germany) plus the upper and lower aft fuselage panels manufactured by Airbus in Stade (Germany).

This first A350 XWB airframe will be used for the static structural tests that all new aircraft undergo as part of their certification process. The assembly of the first flying A350 XWB, MSN1, will start during summer.

25 April 2012 Airbus Press Release
André
ex Sabena #26567

OO-ITR
Posts: 688
Joined: 13 Aug 2011, 18:29

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by OO-ITR »

Not sure if they can still keep the first delivery for first half year of 2014.
Launch customer is Qatar Airways...

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by sn26567 »

Airbus Loses Second Batch of A350-1000 Orders From Etihad

Airbus lost a second batch of orders for its A350-1000 from Etihad after the Abu Dhabi airline cancelled seven more planes, after a cancellation of 6 uniotes in December 2011. The initial order was for 25 aircraft, now the carrier has only 12 A350s left on order, all for the largest variant set for delivery in 2017.

Airbus had originally promised the plane for 2014 before delaying the aircraft last year, saying it needed time to improve range and performance. Qatar Airways, the first and largest A350 customer, has said it’s still not content with the design of the aircraft, a criticism shared by Emirates, the second-largest customer.

The Airbus A350 will be available in three sizes, as Airbus seeks to market the aircraft both against the popular Boeing 777 and the smaller 787 Dreamliner that recently entered service after more than three years of delays.

More from Bloomberg
André
ex Sabena #26567

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by sn26567 »

Airbus delivered the front fuselage for the first flyable A350 XWB (MSN1) to the final assembly line in Toulouse:

Image

Front section for first flyable A350 XWB arrives at Toulouse FAL

Airbus has delivered the front fuselage for the first flyable A350 XWB (MSN1) to the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse (France). The impressive 21 metre long section is already equipped with its systems and was flown in from Airbus’ site in Saint-Nazaire (France) by the Airbus Beluga transport aircraft.

The A350 XWB front fuselage section will be mounted in the giant assembly jig ready to be joined with the centre and aft fuselage sections over the summer period. Before they are arrive at the FAL, the aircraft sections are equipped and pre-assembled at Airbus sites in the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany. All these major sections are transported to the FAL by the Beluga aircraft.

16 July 2012 Press Release
André
ex Sabena #26567

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by sn26567 »

Airbus delays A350 by 3 months after glitch in wing production

Airbus delayed the introduction of its newest passenger jet, the carbon-composite A350, after a glitch in wing production (problems in drilling holes in the wings). The first delivery of the A350 is now pushed into the second half of 2014.

The A350 was already a year behind its original schedule but new Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Brégier has stressed he would rather take time to iron out problems before the start of final assembly. A backlog of unresolved problems were blamed in part for three-year delays on the A380 superjumbo and Boeing's 787.

The delay will result in a charge of 124 million euros.

More from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/ ... TC20120727
André
ex Sabena #26567

User avatar
RoMax
Posts: 4454
Joined: 20 Jun 2009, 16:32

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by RoMax »

The total delay is now little more than 1 year. That's more than the 787 at that stage in development, but Airbus wants the production right from the start. Boeing's 787 roll out was, like planned, on 8 July 2007 (7/8/'07 in US date) but that plane was far from ready at roll-out with thousands of parts that had to be (re)placed, so the delays came after roll-out. Airbus wants to avoid that.

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by sn26567 »

A350 XWB “MSN1” flight-deck comes to life
Proving early readiness of aircraft systems a year before its first flight

Airbus has successfully powered-up the flight-deck of A350 XWB “MSN1” for the first time, following the initial application of electrical power to the aircraft’s front fuselage. This significant milestone was passed only two weeks after this section was delivered to the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse. Moreover, it gives a promising indication of the A350 XWB’s progress in pre-FAL and the readiness of the aircraft’s systems.

Image

Image

Flight-deck power-on is an important step on the route to complete aircraft power-on and first flight, because it enables most systems functional checking to be undertaken. Having achieved this nearly a year before first flight will allow early identification and resolution of potential issues and thus help to protect the aircraft’s development schedule. Testing of the front fuselage section will proceed during this summer. This will be followed by the power-on of the entire fuselage later this year.

2 August 2012 Press Release
André
ex Sabena #26567

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by sn26567 »

First A350 XWB wing arrives in Toulouse for ground tests

The first wing for the A350 XWB has arrived at Airbus’ final assembly line in Toulouse (France) where the new generation Airbus wide-body aircraft is being assembled. This first wing, which will not fly, is destined for the A350 XWB airframe used for static structural tests on the ground that all new aircraft undergo as part of their certification process. The A350 XWB wings, as for all Airbus aircraft, are made at Airbus’ Broughton (UK) site.

Image

The A350 XWB wing covers are 32 metres long by six metres wide, making them the biggest single civil aviation parts made from carbon fibre composite material. The wings’ advanced structural design and superior aerodynamics are both significant contributors to the 25% fuel saving performance of the A350 XWB.

4 September 2012 Press Release
André
ex Sabena #26567

regi
Posts: 5140
Joined: 02 Sep 2004, 00:00
Location: Bruges

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by regi »

Must be a gigantic autoclave to cure those carbon fibre monobloc parts...

User avatar
earthman
Posts: 2221
Joined: 24 Nov 2004, 00:00
Location: AMS

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by earthman »

It's long and wide, but I imagine quite flat, so the autoclave probably does not have that large of a volume anyway.

regi
Posts: 5140
Joined: 02 Sep 2004, 00:00
Location: Bruges

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by regi »

earthman wrote:It's long and wide, but I imagine quite flat, so the autoclave probably does not have that large of a volume anyway.
Hm, as far as I know, most autoclaves are barrel sized. ( except of some small ones where the pressure is contained )
Certainly the one for the A350 :geek: :
http://www.kier.co.uk/construction/proj ... &x=1&co=10

A bit off topic: the steel rings that are used on those autoclaves are manufactured in a very stringent manufacturing process as well. It are seamless rolled rings, with harsh test procedures. The test reports of 1 such ring is enough reading material for a week.

User avatar
earthman
Posts: 2221
Joined: 24 Nov 2004, 00:00
Location: AMS

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by earthman »

So does the paper from all the paperwork of building a single A350 weigh more than the plane itself?

globetrotter
Posts: 1229
Joined: 14 Nov 2005, 00:00

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by globetrotter »

Why are EK and QR not happy with the design? did they want it to look like a space ship or stick to being A330 like?

Will they be using same engines as 787, doe sthat mean airbus will too recommend white only engine colour to customers, screwing up many a liveries in the bargain like Boeing have done?

regi
Posts: 5140
Joined: 02 Sep 2004, 00:00
Location: Bruges

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by regi »

earthman wrote:So does the paper from all the paperwork of building a single A350 weigh more than the plane itself?
could be, gone is another forrest.

User avatar
RoMax
Posts: 4454
Joined: 20 Jun 2009, 16:32

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by RoMax »

globetrotter wrote:
Will they be using same engines as 787, doe sthat mean airbus will too recommend white only engine colour to customers, screwing up many a liveries in the bargain like Boeing have done?
No the A350 will get the RR Trent XWB engine, the 787 has the Trent 1000.
And about the engine color, Boeing and GE + RR only give advice, it's up to the airline to make the final decision, but with extremely small margins in aviation every % counts in fuel burn...
globetrotter wrote:Why are EK and QR not happy with the design? did they want it to look like a space ship or stick to being A330 like?
EK and QR are not happy with the A350-1000 design (the longest version, only by a few airlines on order). EK ordered it as a 777-300(non-ER) replacement, but Airbus saw it wasn't good enough as a 777-300ER replacement and so they updated the design. But that updated design ended up to be something too heavy and expensive to be a 777-300 replacement and not really good enough to be a -300ER replacement as from the moment Boeing comes with the 777X. If you put new wings and more efficient engines on the 777 frame, you already have something better than the brand new A350-1000. That's why airlines like EK, BA, EVA, QR, SQ, ... already expressed their huge interest in the 777X.

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40827
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by sn26567 »

A350 XWB vertical tail plane gets its livery

The vertical tail plane of the first flyable A350 XWB (MSN1) has just come out of the paint hall in Toulouse sporting the well-known Airbus blue and white livery. This is the first A350 XWB component to be painted in the Airbus livery.

Image

The 10 metre tall, composite vertical tail plane is produced, as for all Airbus aircraft, at Airbus’ Stade site in Germany. The vertical tail plane is joined to the fuselage using an innovative, lighter connection that is also more aerodynamic.

The external livery of the A350 XWB, including the vertical tail plane, is painted with an environmentally friendly, chromate free primer paint. In addition, following best practice from the car industry, Airbus will use a new base coat/clear coat system which requires less paint and less solvent. This eco-efficient painting process also means that less detergent will be needed when washing the aircraft. Inside, Airbus will use a water-based paint wherever possible, one of the most environmentally friendly types of paint available.

22 October 2012 Press Release
André
ex Sabena #26567

User avatar
Treeper
Posts: 267
Joined: 13 Feb 2011, 21:56
Location: 13,8nm from BRU
Contact:

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by Treeper »

Maybe a stupid question, but when will the first finished A350 roll out of the factory? I know they're planning delivery in 2014, but that's months after the first tests start...

smokejumper
Posts: 1033
Joined: 21 Oct 2005, 00:00
Location: Northern Virginia USA

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by smokejumper »

globetrotter wrote:Why are EK and QR not happy with the design? did they want it to look like a space ship or stick to being A330 like?

Will they be using same engines as 787, doe sthat mean airbus will too recommend white only engine colour to customers, screwing up many a liveries in the bargain like Boeing have done?
I believe Boeing selected a common color of special paint for the 787 engine nacelle to preserve the laminar flow around the engine. Any operator can paint it any other color, but must accept a fuel economy penalty (IIRC, the laminar nacelle flow gives 0.01 better fuel economy and it all adds up.

User avatar
RoMax
Posts: 4454
Joined: 20 Jun 2009, 16:32

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by RoMax »

smokejumper wrote:
I believe Boeing selected a common color of special paint for the 787 engine nacelle to preserve the laminar flow around the engine. Any operator can paint it any other color, but must accept a fuel economy penalty (IIRC, the laminar nacelle flow gives 0.01 better fuel economy and it all adds up.
Indeed, Boeing (and their painting partners) are able to offer this in white and grey (altough white is even slightly better). They are not able (yet) to make other colors like blue as smooth as white and grey. Airlines can choose for these colors, but I can't remember of many airlines that didn't go for white or grey (even British Airways). The fuel penalty is not something you want these days...

User avatar
earthman
Posts: 2221
Joined: 24 Nov 2004, 00:00
Location: AMS

Re: Airbus A350 news

Post by earthman »

How come they paint the tail seperately from the plane?

Post Reply