A350 XWB Family orders status.

Airbus currently holds 814 firm orders for the A350, the bulk of which (549) are for the baseline A350-900. Meanwhile, Airbus is shifting engineering resources to the stretched A350-1000, due to enter service in 2017. There are 186 firm orders for the -1000, which has seen a notable pick-up in demand. Airbus has pushed back entry into service of the -1000 by almost two years to allow more time for Rolls-Royce to upgrade the engines as demanded by key customers, mainly Persian Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.

The future of the smallest version, the A350-800, appears to still hang in the balance. Airbus is officially committed to building the aircraft—the backlog has shrunk to 79 units—but the manufacturer is now hearing from customers that it should seriously consider stretching it to counter the threat posed by the newly launched Boeing 777X. While Airbus is unlikely to make a formal decision next year, 2014 will be a crucial time to prepare for that step.


Based on the article “Certification Nears For Three Airframers’ Programs” published in Aviation Week

A350 XWB double stretch decision is linked with the smaller variant A350-800 future.

Air Lease Corp. Chairman and CEO Steve Udvar-Hazy believes any Airbus decision to further stretch the A350 will hinge on its ability to get rid of the current backlog of the A350-800, which has been shrinking. One major trigger is the recent decision by American Airlines to upgrade the original order of 18 A350-800 (done by US Airways) to bigger A350-900.

Airbus officially still plans to build the A350-800 variant, but has been quietly trying to convince customers to move to the -900 and -1000. Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy on October/2013 indicated for the first time that Airbus is studying the possibility of stretching the A350 further beyond the -1000 to counter the 777-9X.

Udvar-Hazy does not expect any quick decision on the matter and questions whether it would be absolutely necessary for Airbus to proceed with another stretch. “They have an acquisition price advantage,” he said, referring to the A350-1000 compared to the 777X. And while the -1000 may not have the same range, it would still be able to perform 90% of the flights possible with competing aircraft, Udvar-Hazy argued.


Based on the article “Udvar-Hazy Says Boeing Must Compromise On 777X Performance Requirements” published in Aviation Week

A350 third prototype MSN2 rolls out of paint hangar with special black&white 'Fiber Carbon' livery.

Airbus has rolled-out its 3rd A350 XWB flight-test aircraft, MSN2, from the paint shop in Toulouse. As well as featuring a distinctive “Carbon” signature livery to reflect its primary construction from advanced materials, this aircraft is also the first of 2 A350 flight test aircraft to be equipped with a full passenger cabin interior.

The 5th and last A350 flight-test prototype MSN5 will have the same black&white crosshatch livery and will also be fitted with a cabin layout.

MSN2 will join the A350 XWB flight test fleet in the coming weeks and will be the first A350 to transport passengers when it undertakes the Early Long Flights (ELF) later in the year.

The MSN2 is the first A350 prototype with the cabin fitted and it has been registered as F-WWCF.

more pictures in http://twitter.com/Frenchpainter

In the upper side of the aft section of the fuselage it can be watched the radome for the satellite based broadband system (a directional antenna is installed in German pre-FAL under the radome). With this system, the passengers will have access to the wifi system within the fuselage for internet connections through smartphones and tablets.

53% of the A350 XWB’s airframe is made-up of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) including Airbus’ first carbon-fiber fuselage.

Based on the press released “A350 MSN2 rolls out of paint hangar with special 'Carbon' livery”

After the Type Certification and Entry Into Service of the A350-900 in 2014, Airbus will focus on the improvement of the A350 family with the A350-1000 as first priority and the Regional variant study. Decision on the possible double stretched A350-1100 model and the smaller A350-800 will be analyzed in 2014 too.

European aerospace group EADS pledged to shun risky investments and new plane programs as it looked to bury the ghost of troubled projects and promised investors a smoother ride in coming years. “We will not allocate resources to areas where growth is difficult to access,” said EADS strategy chief Marwan Lahoud.

The head of its Airbus civil planemaking division, Fabrice Bregier, said that after stabilizing production problems on the A380 and the A400M military airlifter -which had caused the company significant headaches in recent years- flight testing and development of the A350, were progressing well ahead of first delivery planned in the 4th quarter of 2014.

“We are on track. You know the risks, but the risks are reducing,” Bregier told an investor forum in London on 12/December.

After it delivers its first all-new passenger jet in a decade, Airbus will focus on enhancements to existing models.

“Nobody sees brand-new developments in the next 10 years or even more,” Bregier said. “The focus is on the improvement of our (in-production) series programs and there is still a lot to be extracted from them.

“The good news for you is that it is much less risky to improve existing platforms than develop brand-new aircraft”.

He did not say what impact this would have on research spending but said the company would also pursue new technology.


Based on the article “Airbus to focus on current products and reduce risk” published in Reuters

Happy New Year 2014

♥ Happy New Year ♥ Feliz Año Nuevo ♥ Ein gutes Neues Jahr ♥ Bonne Année ♥ Felice Anno Nuovo ♥ Feliz Ano Novo ♥ Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku ♥ Urte Berri On♥  あけましておめでとう ♥ Счастливого Нового Года ♥ 新年快乐♥ Bon Any Nou ♥ Kung hé fat tsoi ♥ Godt nytt år! ♥ An nou fericit! ♥ Sretna nova godina ♥ Godt nytår ♥ Štastný Nový rok ♥ Gelukkige nuwejaar ♥ Xin nian kuai le  ♥ Kali xronia ♥ Akemashite omedetô ♥ Ath bhliain faoi mhaise ♥ Yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun

2014

General Electric is not supplying the engines for the A350 XWB, but they are onboard.

When the Airbus A350 is progressing on the flight test campaign, much attention is focused on the Rolls-RoyceTrent XWB powerplants. But while the Trent XWB is the only engine available for the new big twin, R-R's arch rival GE is still onboard.

GE's aviation division is a significant aerostructures supplier and its 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. The deal, under which GE is a risk-sharing partner, extends to all A350 variants, including the -800, -900 and -1000.

GE bought the Hamble facility in 2007 as part of a package of businesses it acquired from Smiths, transforming what was at that time a build-to-print supplier into a full-function design and manufacturing partner today.

Hamble is due to see a $50 million composites facility investment dedicated to A350 and running in time to meet aircraft production ramp-up requirements. Work has already started, and the facility should be ready near the end of 2014.


Based on the article “GE takes flight on A350 wing” published in Flight International.

A350 XWB in Japan. JAL´s 4-class “Sky Suite” configuration leaves the A350-1000 as a small aircraft. ANA´s fleet renewal decision in January/2014 has the Boeing 777X as frontrunner despite the earlier availability of the A350-1000.

JAL placed a firm order for 18 Airbus A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s on 7/October/2013, in what Boeing Capital Corporation managing director Kostya Zolotusky characterised as “a heartbreak”, exactly replacing Japan Airlines’ 13 777-300ERs, 11 -200ERs and 7 -300s in one fell swoop.

But Japan Airlines (JAL) still needs 777X for growth under constraints. Because while the 350-seat A350-1000 is consistent with JAL’s strategy to focus on improving traffic mix and yields instead of volume (in addition to early availability of an aircraft that burns 25% less fuel than the 777-300ER in 2019), its 4-class “Sky Suite″ only configures the 368-seat 777-300ER with 232 seats, let alone the smaller A350-1000.

Therefore should Japan Airlines (JAL) seek profitable growth in the future, particularly after the slot allocation at Tokyo Haneda, it would have little choice but to seek a slightly larger aircraft such as the 400-seat 777-9X which may end up carrying only around 300 passengers in the “Sky Suite” configuration.

 

The other Japanese airline ANA will make a decision for it´s fleet renewal by next month, with the replacement of 22 Boeing 777-300ER target.

Despite the earlier availability of the Airbus A350-1000s beginning in 2019, ANA is favoring the larger 400-seat 8,200nm (nautical miles) Boeing 777-9X as it is compatible with ANA’s future international growth profile under severe slot constraints over the next 20 years, and also partly owing to its cozy relationship with the Japanese government.

As the first 777-9X is not expected to enter into service until the second quarter of 2020, the availability of more, not fewer 787 Dreamliners is essential in winning ANA’s order, since the airline still has 50 767-300 or -300ER passenger aircraft in its fleet despite having 23 787-8s in its fleet and another 13 on order. More of the domestically-configured 787-8s with 222 seats are required, while the 30 787-9s on order are likely to replace its fleet of 16 777-200s.

A combination of around 20 777-9Xs and a similar number of 787s is likely to be included in the package offered to ANA (as per Aspire Aviation informations), including the 320-seat 6,000nm 787-10 that would be ideal for domestic trunk routes, Southeast Asia routes and even transpacific crossings replacing the 12 777-200ERs and 7 -300s.

Furthermore, with the announced 787 production ramp-up to 12 aircraft per month by end-2016 and 14 per month by the end of the decade, these 787s could be offered to ANA at steep discount without undermining the 787 program’s overall profitability. For ANA, it could replace a majority of its widebody fleet before the end of the decade without bearing significant delay risks as the 787 program will have been mature by the time the planes ANA ordered are delivered.

“In the past, aircraft development used to be more on schedule, but lately there have been delays. Possible delay is something we will consider,” ANA Holdings Inc. president Shinichiro Ito said.


Based on the article “ANA must show “Inspirations of Japan” published in Aspire Aviation