system that provides signi cant workload
alleviation when a rapid descent is
required.” The AED’s use on the A350-1000
is the rst application of its kind in a large
commercial aircraft.
WIDE BODY, LONG RANGE
Next up was the A350-900 Ultra Long
Range (ULR). This machine has an
extended range of up to 9,700nm
(17,964km). This has been achieved with
a modi ed fuel system that increases the
aircraft’s fuel carrying capacity by 5,280
imperial gallons (24,000 litres) without
the need for additional fuel tanks. With
a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of
280 tonnes, the Ultra Long Range A350
is capable of ying for over 20 hours
non-stop.
The rst ight by F-WZNY took place
from Toulouse on April 23, 2018, and it then
embarked on a short ight test programme
to certify the changes over the standard
A350-900. The test phase also measured
enhanced performance from aerodynamic
improvements, including extended winglets.
These were successfully completed
and the jetliner was delivered to launch
customer SIA on September 22. The
airline, which has ordered seven -900
ULRs, will use the aircraft on non-stop
ights between Singapore and the US,
including the world’s longest commercial
service between Singapore and New York.
Its new aircraft are con gured in a two-
class layout, with 67 business class seats
and 94 premium economy class and will
begin its inaugural service to the USA on
October 11. The rst two A350-900ULRs
will be used for the launch of Singapore-
New York services, while subsequent
aircraft will be own on the Singapore-Los
Angeles route, commencing on November
2, 2018, as well as to increase frequency
on the existing Singapore-San Francisco
offering. By the end of 2018, SIA will link
Singapore and the US with 27 weekly
non-stop ights. On average, the ying time
for the trip to New York’s Newark Liberty
International Airport will be 18 hours and
45 minutes.
Singapore Airlines is one of the largest
customers for the A350 XWB family,
having ordered a total of 67 A350-900s,
seven of which are the Ultra Long Range
model. Including the September 22delivery, the airline’s A350 XWB eet now
stands at 22 aircraft.
As at the end of August 2018, Airbus had
recorded a total of 890 rm orders for the
A350 XWB from 46 customers worldwide,http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 39
Above: In July 2017 Airbus celebrated the delivery of the 100th A350 XWB, just 30 months after
its rst. The milestone aircraft, registration B-18908, was an A350-900 for China Airlines. Airbus
says that it’s on track to produce ten A350s per month by the end of 2018. P Pigeyre/Airbus
Below: A look inside the SIA A350ULR business class cabin. Singapore AirlinesMalaysia Airlines’ rst A350-900 (registration 9M-MAB) was added to its existing eet of 24 Airbus aircraft in November last year. H Goussé/Airbus