Today the all-new Airbus A350 XWB (MSN001) successfully completed its first flight. Its maiden flight lasted four hours and five minutes.
Airbus A350 XWB F-WXWB took off at around 221 tonnes. During the flight, which took the aircraft around south western France, the crew explored the aircraft’s flight envelope. The aircraft was accompanied by a chase plane to observe and film the various maneuvers. Its progress was monitored by experts on the ground in real-time via a direct telemetry link. This maiden flight marks the beginning of a rigorous test flight campaign involving five A350s, and around 2,500 flight hours.
Videos
Best of the A350 first flight:
Entry-into-service of the A350 is scheduled for the second half of 2014, operated by launch customer Qatar Airways.
To date the A350 XWB has already won 613 firm orders from 33 customers worldwide.