By Jamie Freed
The new Airbus A350 has been approved for service by European regulators, paving the way for Qatar Airways to take delivery of the first commercial aircraft this year.
The twin-engine plane, made partly with composite materials to boost fuel efficiency, could be the last non-derivative aircraft introduced by Airbus or Boeing for at least the next decade. The large aircraft makers now are focused primarily on upgrading the engines and making smaller adjustments to existing models like the Boeing 737 and 777 and the Airbus A320 and A330, rather than introducing wholly new planes like the A350 and 787.
The first A350 model to receive certification approvals from the European Aviation Safety Agency is the A350-900, the mid-size version of three types planned to be introduced by Airbus over time.
An Airbus A350-900 plane leaves the paintshop near the final assembly line during its presentation at the European aircraft maker plant in Toulouse, southern France.Credit: AFP
Airbus showcased a test model of the A350-900 in Sydney in August, inviting representatives from potential customers such as Qantas Airways,
However, Airbus Pacific sales head Isabelle Floret said she did not expect any Australian orders would be placed until 2016 at the earliest.
Qantas has committed to 50 options and purchase rights over the rival 787-9, Virigin is taking its time to decide on a replacement for its fleet of five 777s and Jetstar is receiving new 787-8s.
Qatar has raised the possibility of flying the A350 from Doha to Perth at some stage. Other airlines that fly to Australia that have ordered the A350 include Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways and LAN.
Airbus used a fleet of five test aircraft to complete the certification campaign. Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier said more than 2600 flight hours had been accumulated in one of the industry's most thorough and efficient test programs.
Just a week ago, Airbus flew the first test version of the narrowbody A320neo, or new engine option.
Airbus head of flight tests Fernando Alonso said the A350 had been taken to the limits of environmental conditions it might encounter during the testing phase.
"For example we take the airplane to very cold weather conditions; we take the airplane to high operating altitudes, high airports, hot weather conditions; we also test the airplane structure up to its limits," he said.
"We test the aerodynamics up its limits; we test the brakes up to the limits. So the testing campaign is all about identifying those limits, structure, aerodynamic and systems limits to make sure the systems work correctly."
In the final certification phase, Airbus tested particular routes. The aircraft flew from Johannesburg to Sydney and then on to Auckland and Santiago as part of that phase.
This week, all five test aircraft flew in formation over Toulouse, France.
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