6 months since the First Flight of the A350 XWB; 750 flight hours with 2 prototypes in the air and the other 3 certification prototypes on the Final Assembly Line.

MSN1 has passed 510 hours of Block Time in 110 missions or flight tests.

The MSN3 prototype, which joined the flight test campaign 4 months later (14/October/2013) has already complete 42 missions with 250 hours of Block Time.

Pictures available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/aircrafts/

The MSN3 second prototype has been more time in the air than the MSN1 in November and December.

Great progress of the certification test campaign with no important issues communicated by Airbus.

Airbus CEO “We’ve always been very present in The Middle East”. Strata in Abu Dhabi manufactures the flap track fairings of the A350 XWB.

This year was Airbus’ biggest ever in Dubai, with 142 firm orders worth $40.4bn and a further 26 options totalling $3.6bn. “This region is booming and so they have a lot of ambition, they have a lot of growth, so they need a lot of aeroplanes, so yes, it was crazy when you put all the numbers together, absolutely,” Bregier says.

“We’ve always been very present in the region, of course. If we take Etihad, they started with Airbus aircraft ten years ago. With Emirates we also have a long-lasting relationship. Qatar Airways, for instance, was the launch customer of the A350, while Emirates is by far the biggest customer of the A380, with 140 aircraft ordered. Etihad has also become a very big customer of the A350 with the Airshow’s order of an additional 50 aircraft, so we know them very well. We are very close to them [and] we support their operations.”

The additional orders also will lead to more aircraft manufacturing in the region, particularly in the UAE through Abu Dhabi’s investment vehicle Mubadala’s aerospace production business Strata. The company, based in Al Ain, signed $5bn worth of new contracts with both Airbus and Boeing during the Dubai Airshow.

Airbus has been working with firm since its inception. “Strata is quite impressive because we started together in 2008 or 2009 and they have now achieved a level of performance which allows them to look for bigger packages, bigger parts of aerostructure,” Bregier says. “We’re continuously talking to them.”



Based on the interview with Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier published in Arabian Business

Beluga capacity required for the ramp-up in the A350 XWB program could be fulfilled by a new A330-300 based transport.

Schematic diagrams of a planned development at Airbus’s UK wing facility further indicate that the A330 is the candidate for a high-capacity transport to succeed the A300-600ST Beluga.

Detailed diagrams for a Beluga line station at the Broughton plant show the plan view of the A300-600ST at the docking point overlaid by a larger aircraft whose dimensions are consistent with a modified A330-300.

Airbus has been examining potential candidate airframes to complement and replace its A300-600STs – of which it has five – in order to have sufficient capacity to ramp up A350 production.
The new line station would provide a weatherproof area for loading and unloading Beluga transports and would be located south of the runway and east of the wing-equipping facility.



Airbus’s supporting statement, in its planning application to the local council, says that wings manufactured at Broughton would be transferred from production hangars to external racks for short-term storage.

They would then be transferred to the new Beluga line station and either loaded onto the waiting jet or moved to internal wing racks until the aircraft arrives.

Based on the article “Airbus planning application hints at Bigger Beluga” published in FlightGlobal.

The 777X has more orders and commitments than the A350-1000, which was launched in 2006.

The launch of the 777X in Dubai Airshow last month was really incredible;

• It took almost 13 years for the A380 to reach the exact same number of orders as the 777X did in one day.

• It took 6 years for the original 777 program to accumulate as many orders as the 777X (777-200, 777-200ER and 777-300)

• It took 7 years to gather that many 777-300ER orders

• The 777X commitment from Emirates for 150 airplanes has the same number of units as the first 4.8 years of original 777 orders

There’s no question the 777X is going to be a special airplane. But why has it taken off so quickly? As per Boeing, the 777X will have 12% better fuel efficiency than the A350-1000. In the chart below, Boeing points out the ability of the 777X to carry about 60 more passengers or fly 1,500 nautical miles further that the competition.

777X customers are all A350 main customers too.

• Lufthansa: 25 orders for A350
• Ethiad Airways: 62 orders for A350
• Qatar Airways: 80 orders for A350
• Emirates: 70 orders for A350

Based on the post “One for the books“ published in Randy´s Journal

Airbus feels confident with Middle East airlines; more than 25% of A350 XWB orders.

Bregier says the best is yet to come - and has the stats to back up his claim.

“When the average will be 4.7 percent that means that every 15 years the traffic doubles,” said Bregier. “So in the Middle East it will grow much faster and this is supported by what Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, for instance, enjoy now, which is growth between 15 percent to more than 20 percent year-on-year. So it means that this region will grow faster than even the most dynamic parts of the world, like Asia.”

Middle Eastern carriers ordered 758 Airbus aircraft between 2003 and 2012 and they represent 8% of the company’s backlog. Those figures are smaller than regions such as Asia, America and Europe — but the value is far greater.

“The numbers are smaller but the value is higher because traditionally there is a big proportion of long-range aircraft so of course the value of an A380 is much bigger than the value of an A320; it’s about five times more expensive,” Bregier says.


Based on the interview with Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier published in Arabian Business

Kuwait Airways signs for 10 A350-900.

Kuwait Airways, the National airline of Kuwait, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to buy 10 A350-900 and 15 A320neo Family aircraft. The order is part of Kuwait Airways’ fleet renewal strategy. The carrier already operates 3 A320, 3 A310, 5 A300 and 4 A340 Family aircraft.

“The Airbus Family is the ideal choice for an airline like ours,” said Kuwait Airways acting Chairman Mr Jassar Al Jassar. “The A350-900 will strengthen our long haul route development. These aircraft are an essential part of our ambitious growth plans.”

“It’s great to see our long-standing customer Kuwait Airways, building its future with our newest, most efficient aircraft families,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

Kuwait Airways' fleet renewal has been a drawn-out process, interrupted by the government's efforts to privatize the airline.

It had previously intended to take a batch of Boeing 787s as well as a number of A320s under a modernization program.




Based on the press release “Kuwait Airways to buy ten A350-900 and fifteen A320neo Family aircraft” and on the article “Kuwait Airways signs for A350 and A320neo” published in Flight Global.

Nathalie Ducombeau, Head of Quality at Airbus and previously Head of Operations for A350 XWB, received the “La Tribune Women’s Award” in the “Woman Manager of the Year” category.

This year “La Tribune Women’s Awards” brought together 23 women entrepreneurs from the Midi-Pyrénées region, nominated in eight different categories. The “Woman Manager of the Year” category rewards a woman who heads a department or company and manages teams, contributing every day to the success of the company, its strategy and results; while integrating into her daily activities a culture of gender equality and diversity in general.

After joining Airbus in 2008 as Head of Aerostructures for the A400M program, Nathalie Ducombeau was appointed Head of Quality at Airbus in October 2012. As such, Nathalie is responsible for determining and deploying the Quality Management System, along with its standards, procedures and tools. She is also responsible for all the employees who contribute to Quality in the programs and functions. Her previous positions at Airbus include heading up the improvement of industrial performance for the A380, A400M and A350 XWB, and later on, steering the production start-up for the A350 XWB.

“I welcome Nathalie Ducombeau’s nomination as Woman Manager of the Year. Nathalie is an example of success and she highlights the fact that women can also build their careers in an industrial sector that is no longer the preserve of men. We are keen to attract a greater number of women into our workforce. It’s not a question of meeting quotas, but rather of achieving a more balanced participation of women at every level of the company, because this diversity is a source of wealth, success and performance,” explained Thierry Baril, Chief Human Resources Officer of EADS and Airbus. “Offering equal opportunities is an essential factor in our company culture,” he added.





Based on the article “Nathalie Ducombeau (Airbus) élue « Femme Manager de l’année »” published in La Tribune.