Cathay Pacific ready to start cabin crew training 1 year before receiving the first A350.

EDM Ltd has delivered and installed an A350 door trainer to Cathay Pacific’s cabin crew training centre in Hong Kong.

The A350 door trainer comprises fully functional main doors with flight attendant seat and harness, and local monuments.

The cabin crew training will be focused on internal normal door operation and emergency opening, as well as auto/manual slide inflation tests.

Tony Bermingham, EDM’s Managing Director said: “This is our first A350 door trainer delivery and EDM is currently working on another A350 door trainer program for Ethiopian Airlines.”

The company supplies simulators and training devices to fully replicate all aircraft types.

Based on the press release “EDM Delivers A350 Door Trainer to Cathay Pacific”

A350 prototype to visit Madrid airport next Thursday.

The MSN2 flight test prototype of the A350 will land at Madrid Airport for the first time next 19/Feb. 

Source: Maew Spotter

Arriving from Toulouse at 9:55h in the morning (local time), after receiving the traditional water cannon salute, she will be transferred to Iberia's maintenace facility known as La Muñoza.

Source: Airbus

VIP personnel from Iberia and Airbus will visit the interior of the carbon-fiber painted aircraft until lunch time when the aircraft will return to Toulouse.

Iberia -within IAG- wants to receive the first of 8 A350 ordered before 2017.

Based on the article "El Airbus A350 visitará Madrid por primera vez" published in FlyNews.

The history explains why the A350 XWB has no GE engines.

In 2004, faced with what was to become the Boeing 787, Airbus's first response was to offer new GE engines on its A330. That was the original A350.

Source: Airbus

But customers -including Qatar Airways CEO Al Baker- rejected a "quick fix" and urged Airbus to invest in a newer family that would also offer an alternative to the larger Boeing 777.

GE and Airbus disagreed, however, over whether both markets could be served by one family of planes and engines.

Airbus's subsequent decision to build an all-new family (the A350 XWB) led to a parting of ways between Airbus and GE on the A350 project and opened the door to Rolls-Royce as sole engine supplier.

Source: Alberto Riva

"That somewhat polluted the relationship between Airbus and GE," said a person who closely monitored the negotiations.

A U-turn by Airbus last year only served to deepen the new alignment: Airbus now planned to upgrade the A330 anyway (A330neo), but this time with Rolls instead of the original partner, GE.

This year could see Airbus upgrading its A380 superjumbo with engines from Rolls-Royce, bringing further polarization.

"It's a bad thing: it goes against globalization that helps drive the business," Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia said.

GE denied any cooling of ties with Airbus, saying it remains a major engine supplier for best-selling A320s through Franco-U.S. venture CFM.

"CFM is far and away Airbus's largest engine supplier across its current and future aircraft models. It's a huge relationship," a spokesman said.

Source: Manuel Belleli

Additionaly, GE is onboard A350 as aerostructures supplier. GE's aviation division UK facility at Hamble-le-Rice, Southampton, supplies Airbus with fixed trailing edge components for the A350 wing.

That package - for 3.000 components, including structural composite panels and complex machined assemblies - is the largest production contract awarded to Hamble in its 75-year history.

Based on the article "GE finances first A350 powered by rival Rolls-Royce" published in Reuters.

Finnair A350 tail ready for installation

The first painted tail for Finnair's A350 is ready for the final installation. 

Finnair will be the 1st European airline to fly the A350 XWB and the 3rd operator in the world after Qatar Airways and Vietnam Airlines.

It is scheduled for delivery in Q4/2015.

All pictures Source: Airbus

Vietnam Airlines reveals A350 interior cabin lay-out.

Vietnam Airlines has shared a sneak peak inside its Airbus A350, which will be start being delivered in Q3/2015 with Paris earmarked for the first route.

The SkyTeam member will be the world's 2nd airline to fly the A350-900, following launch customer Qatar Airways.

Comparing with Qatar (283 seats in 2-class interior) Vietnam Airlines has configured a 305 seats interior with 3-classes.

As with its Boeing 787-9, Vietnam Airlines isn't being adventurous with its choice of seats. Selected business class seat is the Solstys model from Stelia (former EADS-Sogerma) that was also Airbus' own choice for its early A350 flight-test prototypes.

It's worth noting that Vietnam Airlines has chosen an entirely different business class for its Boeing 787-9, that being the popular Zodiac Cirrus seat.

Behind the A350's business class will sit a small premium economy cabin, which is suspected to be similar or identical to that of the airline's Boeing 787-9.

The A350 economy seats –with a personal video screen- will be in the expected 3-3-3 layout. 231 seats over 305 will be economy.

All pictures Source: Vietnam Airlines.
Based on the article “Photos: inside Vietnam Airlines' Airbus A350” published by Australian Business Traveller.

Qatar 3rd A350 will not attend Paris-Air Show. It will be flying to Singapore.

Qatar Airways has further adjusted planned Doha – Singapore service opening reservation for A350-900 XWB service, starting 16/June/2015.

The 3^rd A350-900 XWB will operate following flights:

QR938/939     eff 16/June      Daily (Previously operated by 787)
QR944/945     eff 16/July       Daily
QR942/943     eff 16/August  Daily

With these changes, Qatar Airways will operate all-A350 service to Singapore from 16/August, instead of 23/October/2015.

Source: Airbus

With this, Qatar Airways will become the 1st airline to operate the A350 XWB to Singapore, and the airline will further strengthen its position in one of the leading business cities in the Asia Pacific region as a world-class airline providing passengers with a premium travel experience.

“Qatar Airways is proud to be the first airline in the world to introduce the next generation A350 XWB aircraft to Asia, redefining the travel experience of our passengers,” said Qatar Airways Group CEO Mr. Akbar Al Baker.

“We are also delighted to add another flight to this important and strategic route which will provide our Singapore-based passengers with even more options when they travel on business or leisure to key destinations in Europe and the Americas that include London, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, Milan, New York, Chicago and Houston.” he added.

The new daily flight will be departing Doha at 20:25 hrs and arrive in Singapore the next day at 09:15 hrs, followed by a quick turnaround from Singapore at 10:40 hrs and returning to Doha the same day at 13:15 hrs.

Based on the article “QATAR Airways Begins A350 Singapore Service from mid-June 2015” published in Routesonline.com

Rolls-Royce powered first A350, financed by General Electric.

GE's aircraft leasing arm GECAS -the world's largest lessor- agreed to buy the A350 from Qatar Airways immediately on delivery and rent it back, a routine type of financing called sale-and-leaseback.

The rare decision to invest in rival technology highlights the complexities of keeping ahead in a highly concentrated aviation industry, with GECAS seen as keen to diversify its portfolio even though its parent GE is perceived in the industry as more and more aligned with Airbus rival Boeing.

It is not the first aircraft equipped with rival engines to end up on GECAS's books but such deals are usually kept low key and seldom if ever happen on a high-profile debut of a new jet.

"We have had much interest in taking Qatar Airways' airplanes and leasing them back to us. The deal with GECAS was the best for the airline and so we concluded with them," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said after the first revenue flight.

Industry sources say there could be several reasons for GE getting involved in the A350. Qatar has a large fleet of GE-powered Boeing 777s and the relationship is crucial, both in engines and financing.

Yet the move highlights a delicate balancing act as GECAS seeks to diversify assets to reduce risk, even as its parent GE forges ever closer ties with Boeing.

Based on the article "GE finances first A350 powered by rival Rolls-Royce" published in Reuters.