aviation

O

n September 22, crowds gathered

at Toulouse to witness the

gleaming Airbus A350-900 Ultra

Long Range (ULR) F-WZNY/9V-

SGA taxi out from his hardstanding, and

power down the runway at the start of its

journey to launch customer Singapore

Airlines (SIA). This  ight marked a major

milestone in the European manufacturer’s

history – its new model, designed to  y

enormous distances non-stop, was about to

enter service.

Evolution of the twinjet Airbus A350

XWB (eXtra Wide Body) series of aircraft

dates back to 2004, in response to a

trend towards creating fuel-efficient, more

environmentally friendly jetliners capable

of  ying greater distances, for less. By the

early 2000s, Boeing had already made

great inroads into developing what would

become its major player in the market –

787 Dreamliner – Airbus had some catching

up to do, and fast.

Its original plan for the new type was

essentially mating a customized A330

fuselage with carbon- bre wings, along

with new high-tech engines, but feedback

from potential customers – airlines and

lessors – wasn’t as positive as Airbus had

hoped, and so a complete redesign was

undertaken. A wider fuselage, greater use

of carbon- bre reinforced plastic (CFRP)

and new Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines

were just some of the sweeping changes

made to the design.

Pausing and taking on board the

advice from aircraft operators soon paid

dividends. The updated speci cations hit

the spot with the airlines and the company

announced orders/pledges for more than

100 A350s at the Paris Air Show in 2005,

before the A350 had officially been fully

launched. Development work continued

and the all-new A350 XWB family of

aircraft was announced at the Farnborough

International Airshow the following year. The

plan was to produce four basic versions

• the -800, -900, -1000 and -900R – plus
  a freighter, designated the -900F. The A350-
  800 was to be capable of carrying 270
  passengers over 8,500nm (15,750km), with
  the -900 and -1000 seating 314 and 350
  respectively, and an 8,300nm (15,400km)
  range. The -900R was intended to be an
  extended-range variant. (The -900R has
  since been replaced by the -900ULR [ultra-
  long-range] model.)

SUCCESS STORY

The sales  ooded in and within a year, some

294 A350s had been ordered and by the end

IN IT FOR THE

LONG HAUL

The Airbus A350 family of widebody airliners is proving to be a great

success with carriers being attracted by its ultra long range and

greatly reduced operating costs. Nigel Price summarises

the type’s history, and looks at what the future

might hold for this impressive aircraft.

36 Aviation News incorporating Jets November 2018