Main reason for the A350 XWB to be a commercial success in comming years

Fuel efficiency is the key characteristic of A350 XWB to be real success between Airlines.

Airbus marketing team repeat constantly that the A350 XWB has 25% lower operating costs;

“Airbus brings together the very latest in aerodynamics, design and advanced technologies in the A350 XWB to provide a 25% step-change in fuel efficiency compared to its current long-range competitor. Contributing to this performance are the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines that power the A350 XWB family.

Over 70 per cent of the A350 XWB’s weight-efficient airframe is made from advanced materials, combining 53 per cent of composite structures with titanium and advanced aluminum alloys. The aircraft’s innovative all-new Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) fuselage results in lower fuel consumption, as well as easier maintenance.”

And behind that there are data regarding the consumption versus the discovery of new reserves of fuel. (see above chart)

Average oil prices have rebounded to 2008 values and the forecast is to have oil prices growing and growing.

Nose fuselage section manufacturing process at Aerolia Meaulte

Production is running up in the new 18,000m² (194,000ft²) composite unit at Aerolia's assembly site in Méaulte?

Unlike the cockpit fuselage sections of previous Airbus models, which consist of a single lower shell to approximately floor level, Section 11 forming the upper structure immediately around the flight deck and Section 12 extending aft until just behind the first set of passenger doors, the A350 XWB follows a different construction.

While the majority of the nose fuselage section has a carbon reinforced plastic (CFRP) structure and panelling, Section 11 is made of aluminium. Four composite panels cover the remaining part of the fuselage frame structure: the nose upper shell extending aft from above the cockpit windows; left- and right-hand side panels including the respective passenger door apertures; and a single panel to cover the lower area of sections 11 and 12, which are the largest of the four at approximately 30m².

All panels are manufactured in the new composite unit, which is divided into 3 main sections.

• The initial clean room comprises a single production line for the composite lay-up, inclusion of stringers and preparation for curing of all four panel types. The CFRP material is built up on the male mould from the inside out, starting with the innermost layer and ending with the "outer skin". The female mould is then lowered, with the material "sandwiched" in between the two moulds so that everything can be turned around. The male mould is removed and stringers are added on the now freely accessible inner panel side.

• The next section includes a 7m (23ft)-diameter, 11m-long autoclave, which allows to "bake" up to two panels - still on their female moulds - at a maximum temperature of 180°C (356°F) and pressure of 7-8bar (101-116psi) during a 10-hour curing process. The panel is then removed from the mould and freed of the protective foil to prevent adhesion to the mould. Thereafter, the panels enter a combined high-pressure water jet cum five-axis machine tool to trim the edges, cut openings and drill holes.

• The final section houses a buffer zone for production panels, a quality control area with non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment and tools for possible repairs, a paint booth and oven, as well as the final panel assembly with four production lines. The panels are vertically suspended and fixed in metallic crates for protection and to ensure they maintain their shape while being in the buffer zone or being transported. Also, the production stations have been set up for the staff to work on vertically fixed panels for better ergonomics.

Marrying the panels with the externally produced carbon airframe components and locally manufactured metallic Section 11 takes place in the existing assembly facility, in which the nose fuselage sections of other models are taking shape.

Based on the article "Aerolia runs up A350 panel production" published in Flightglobal

Great Milestone in the A350 XWB Program: Rolls-Royce Trent XWB achieves EASA type certification

European regulators have certificated the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine ahead of the planned first flight of the Airbus A350 XWB by mid-year.

Patrick Goudou, EASA's executive director, handed over the powerplant's typecertificate to Chris Young, Rolls-Royce's director for the Trent XWB program, at the European authority's headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

 

The approval covers the engines for the baseline A350-900 and planned smaller -800 variant. But the largest A350-1000 will require a higher thrust version of the engine which is still under development.

A350 XWB is exclusively powered by the Trent XWB, and the engines for the MSN001 are already at Toulouse final assembly.

 

Eric Schulz, President – Civil Large Engines, Rolls-Royce, said: “We are very proud to have achieved this significant milestone on the road to the A350 XWB’s entry into service. I would like to thank Airbus for their support and all of our partners and employees who contributed to the design and certification of the engine. Test results show we have produced the world’s most efficient large civil aero engine and we now look forward to the first flight later this year.”

Didier Evrard, Airbus’ Executive Vice President – Head of A350 XWB Programme said: “We congratulate our colleagues at Rolls-Royce on achieving this important milestone for the A350 XWB programme with the EASA certification of the Trent XWB engine.” He adds: “These new engines together with the aircraft’s advanced aerodynamics and airframe technologies will bring our airline customers a 25 percent step-improvement in fuel efficiency.”

 

The certification program.

Rolls-Royce says that the certification program involved 11 engines and led to a total runtime of around 3,100 hours. Ground tests began in 2010 in the UK (17/June/2010 was the Trent XWB First Engine Run), while flight trials started on Airbus's A380 test bed in February 2012.

The certification program included icing tests in Canada, hot weather trials in the UAE, altitude and crosswind assessments in the USA, and endurance tests in Spain. This global validation program has had 7 engines running all around the world; in AEDC (USA), INTA (Spain), Derby (UK), Stennis-Mississipi (USA), Glacier-Manitoba (Canada) and MTOC (Germany).

Maturity, maturity and maturity.

The development program has been focus on delivering maturity, with a flying testbed in the A380 MSN1, with several risk & reliability processes and early investments (in human talent resources and also in new facilities in USA, Singapore and UK). It was defined a complete representative testing campaign with timely event capture & resolution and health monitoring. Many maintainability analysis done for last 3 years and a specific pre-production facility built to assure that the manufacturing capability level is achieved before needed.

 Rolls-Royce is not alone.

This great milestone is shared with the strong capable risk and revenue sharing partnerships part of the Trent XWB supply chain; 75 suppliers worldwide, 16 Rolls-Royce plants, 12 partners and 25 dual sources. A Teamwork success. Congratulations!

 

The most advanced Trent … Optimised for the Airbus A350XWB

 

 

French Government lobbying Airbus in Turkey for an order of 15 A350 XWB aircraft

Airbus and Turkish Airlines are under negotiation of an order of 150 aircraft, including some A350 and A380 as announced the French Minister of the Foreign Trade during a visit to Turkey in January/2013.

Turkish Airlines, the world's fastest-growing airline, is considering an order for A320neo or 737MAX and they have ordered last December/2012 15 long-haul 777-300ER from Boeing to a $ 4.7 billion at catalog prices.

Nicole Bricq, Minister of foreign trade met Temel Kotil, the general manager of Turkish Airlines. "Discussions are ongoing, there will be no announcement or signing during the visit of the Minister," said a Ministry spokesman.

The order under discussion would be composed of 125 aircraft of the A320 family, 15 long-haul A350s and six to ten A380.

Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil said: “We increased our recent order of 15 A330-300s by 5 more aircraft to 20.” Together with the recent order of 20 Boeing 777-300ERs, the 20 A330-300s “gives us 40 additional widebodies, which is a good number,” he said.

Kotil declined to comment on further aircraft orders, which are expected to be made by the carrier this year. “So far nothing is decided,” he said. “We are working hard on the decision”

A350 XWB ailerons are designed and manufactured in TAI, Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Based on the article “Airbus discute d'une commande de 150 avions en Turquie-ministre” published in Les Echos

Air Lease orders 25 A350s including five -1000s

Lessor Air Lease has underpinned the Airbus A350-1000 by ordering five of the type as well as 20 A350-900s.

The leasing firm has also firmed options on 14 A321neo twinjets.Airbus says the company has options for five more A350-1000s. The deal marks the third endorsement of the largest member of the A350 family since its redesign.

The order takes the A350 backlog to more than 600 aircraft.

Steven Udvar-Hazy’s Air Lease’s order is a boost for Airbus as Boeing works to fix electrical faults that spurred regulators to order the global Dreamliner fleet parked last month. Udvar-Hazy, the lessor’s chief executive officer and founder, has 12 787s on order and hadn’t yet ordered any A350s, a model that will make its commercial debut in 2014 after suffering delays.

Udvar-Hazy earned a reputation as the godfather of the jet- leasing industry after starting International Lease Finance Corp. in 1973, which he sold to American International Group Inc. in 1990. He left ILFC in 2010 and founded Air Lease.

 

Based on the article “Airbus Wins $9 Billion Order as Hazy Adds A350s to 787s” published in Bloomberg

The objective to flight in Le Bourget more than challenging; "It is a possibility, but not a probability," But the certification schedule even more challenging than the first flight.

Based on a visit to the A350 FAL last Friday 1^st of February of the journalists from the Press Association Aviation (AJPAE) with Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier, the A350 schedule seems to be specially challenging, and as written by Les Echos  “especially because of the delays by a supplier” , called Spirit. 

A little more than 5 months of the Le Bourget Airshow, the first aircraft of the A350 being assembled, still seems far away from the first flight.

Ground Tests are ongoing on MSN1 at station 30 inside the FAL. Many indoor ground tests continues  to demonstrate the readiness of systems and identify any defect in this phase before the aircraft moves to the next station. In these test, all type of systems are checked, as air conditioning, electrical systems and hydraulic systems. Another test for which no photo is available yet is the typical main landing gear extension-retraction test. The MSN1 will go for painting and Rolls&Royce engines installation and afterwards, an extensive set of outdoors ground tests will be required.

MSN1 aircraft in st.30 on 1st February 2013

Given these steps, it is very unlikely that the A350 would be ready before the summer and making a first appearance at Le Bourget show, 17-23 June. Without excluding it totally, Fabrice Brégier, CEO of Airbus, acknowledges this himself: "It is a possibility, but not a probability," he said. "On the other hand, I commit to what the first flight did not take place in Toulouse during the show", he added jokingly. 

However, the most striking during the visit to the FAL was the absence of other items except the MSN1 in the assembly line. The station 50, where are assembled sections of fuselage from Saint-Nazaire and Germany, was completely empty. Same thing in the station 40 where wings from Great Britain are fixed. According to information gleaned on site, the assembly of the sections of the MSN3 will begin "in the coming days”. However they were originally planned for December. The American manufacturer Spirit, which makes the central section of the fuselage, would be at the origin of these delays. Airbus had to send engineers to this supplier to help solving its problems.

Result: all activity of the FAL focuses, for the time being, around the MSN1.

 

Based on the article “L'Airbus A350 mal parti pour voler au Bourget” published in Les Echos

Trent XWB engine cold weather tests ongoing in Canada

Airbus is in Iqaluit (Canada) cold weather testing the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB using its A380 MSN001 testbed.

cold tests at -23 celsius in North Canada

"It is the engine which is going to power very shortly the A350 aircraft that is going to make its maiden flight this summer," said Emanuele Costanzo, a test flight engineer with Airbus.

"For Iqaluit, the airport is qualified for the A380, the support is qualified for the handling and you don't have no more traffic here. So for us it's very easy to perform the test because we are near to alone here. It's nice." said Pascal Verneau's test engineer that is fifth time in Iqaluit.

Iqaluit International Airport is used also by Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna and Eurocopter.

click the image to watch a video

“It's the middle of winter and you have 30 people or so come in on these missions” said the Airport director .

Costanzo said he enjoys the northern hospitality in Iqaluit and the Arctic char. "When we came the first time in 2006, we had a very good experience and so since we have the temperatures here that are suitable to our test, we decided to come back here," he said.

Based on the article “Airbus cold-weather tests new engine in Iqaluit” published in CBC News.