Emirates order for A350. The main target of the year for Airbus.

The head of Dubai's Emirates, Tim Clark said 2 years ago concerning the dozens of potential orders for Boeing 777X, or the A350-1000, or both that are on stake: "As Airbus knows, I want to see it on its wheels with its engines running and preferably in the air".

"I am afraid I am not prepared to accept anything until I see telemetry giving performances of the engines and the fuel".

"The A350-1000 is definitely one that we would be looking at. But first of all - show me."

Source: Airbus

Airbus has been able to show A350-900 performance data to Emirates but never of A350-1000 data that it is on the assembly process in the preFALs. On track but still in the assembly process.

Eyes on the Dubai Air Show next November will be watching for what could be would be this year’s prize catch: whether Emirates Airlines will be ready to place the oft-talked about order for 50-70 widebody aircraft: Airbus A350-900s, A350-1000s, Boeing 787-10s or Boeing 777Xs.

Negotiation final phase has started.

Based on the article "Countdown to A350 first flight" published in Reuters.

Will the COMAC 929 be the competence for A350 XWB in the future?

Sources in both China and Russia indicate that the formalization of the long-discussed agreement to build a new widebody aircraft in China using Russian intellectual property will be approved later this month and finalized by the end of the year.

Under the agreement, Russia will supply the intellectual property from the Ilyushin IL-96 widebody jet, which will serve as the underpinnings for the design of a new aircraft, currently names the ShFS by UAC and expected to commercially be named the COMAC 929 in China.

The joint venture will be a 50-50 split, with a total investment of about $13 billion required.

The ShFS is expected in 2 models, a 300 and 400 seat model with a range of 2,700 nautical miles to serve internal markets within China and Russia.

Roll out of the first flying prototype is planned for 2021, certification in 2023, and serial production and deliveries beginning in 2025.

In the near term, it is unlikely that the new aircraft would be a serious threat to Airbus and Boeing widebodies in international markets, but would negatively impact their sales in China.

China is a patient country, and has targeted aviation as a key future market. While they are still learning, they recognize that their strategy is long-term and will require 20-30 years.

The new aircraft is merely a first step along a longer path to take a large share of the international market.

Based on the article “Sino-Russian Widebody JV Approval to be Announced Soon” published in AirInsight.

First A350-1000 fuselage assembly started at Hamburg and Saint Nazaire preFALs.

The first A350-1000 is taking shape with the assembly start of the first fuselage major components at Airbus plants in Hamburg and Saint-Nazaire.

Source: Airbus

The forward fuselage section for MSN59 has been delivered by Premium Aerotec to Airbus in Hamburg where it will be equipped before being flown to Saint-Nazaire on board the Beluga. 

Source: borja_paquito

The nose fuselage section has been delivered by Stelia Aerospace to Airbus in Saint-Nazaire for assembly and equipping. 

Source: Airbus

The forward and nose fuselage sections will then be joined together in Saint-Nazaire to form the front fuselage which will then be flown by Beluga to the A350 XWB Final Assembly Line in Toulouse.

Final assembly of the MSN59 will begin in Toulouse early 2016, between February and March.

Based on the press release "Airbus starts assembly of the first A350-1000".

Finnair or Qatar? Who will the 1st to debut the A350 on flights to USA?

Finnair aims to become the 1st airline to operate an Airbus A350 service to the USA, with plans to use a -900 for New York JFK flights before the end of the year.

Source: Airbus

The Oneworld carrier outlined its intention to deploy the type to the USA later this year in detailing a "slightly adjusted" A350 launch schedule.

Source: Airbus

Discussions on possible start dates are ongoing between the carrier and JFK officials with a view to beginning services in December, said Rikke Munk Christensen, Finnair's head of traffic planning, at World Routes 2015 in Durban.

Source: Airbus

She declines to say definitively that the flights will begin before the end of the year, saying only that more details will be available in 2 to 3 weeks.

Source: AlexDuSud

If Finnair launches A350 services to the USA in December, it would beat fellow Oneworld Alliance partner Qatar Airways to become the 1st airline to do so – although by a matter of weeks.

Source: A380_TLS_A350

Doha-based Qatar will debut the A350-900 on its flights to Philadelphia on 1/January/2016.

Based on the article “Finnair targets US debut for A350” published in FlightGlobal.

A350-1000´ Trent XWB-97 to be installed on the A380 MSN1 Flying TestBed.

The key Trent XWB-97 engine is the flying testbed. Serial No. 26000 has arrived to the FAL in Toulouse where it will installed on the A380 MSN1.

This engine is close to the production standard and will be the first engine to fly and all the tests associated with the production engine need to be created.

The engine run in July at Rolls-Royce and was delivered to Toulouse in early-August so Airbus now can pod it.

The 97,000-lb.-thrust engine due to fly in coming weeks is the 1st of 2 units destined for initial evaluation flights on the Airbus A380 flying testbed MSN001, and will be used for evaluating engine operability, relights and handling.

Beyond engine-specific testing, Airbus also intends to use the XWB-97 on the A380 for integrated nacelle tests.

“It will do this to take credit for A350 certification and flights will run well into 2016, so it is not a short program,” said Simon Burr,  Rolls-Royce’s COO for Civil Large Engines

Unlike the -84, which first flew on the A380 in February/2012, the higher- thrust engine Trent XWB-97 will not have undergone simulated altitude evaluation in a test cell before it takes to the air on the flying testbed.

The flight testing on Airbus’s MSN1 A380 is designed to fine-tune powerplant integration and “de-risk” the flight test program on the A350-1000, expected to begin at the end of Q3/2016.

The first A350-1000 is due to fly in end Q3/2016 and is scheduled to enter service in 2017, 2 years after the Trent XWB-84-powered A350-900.

All pictures. Source: Airbus

1200 litres of final paint for TAM´s A350-900.

The A350-900 of TAM, which was painted in September, required 1200 litres of final paint to complete the brazilian company´s livery.

9 days in the paint-shop at Toulouse where the technology called Base Coat – Clear Coat (BCCC) is used.

Using this technology for all A350s, electrostatic guns paint with more pigment.

In the end, the process requires less ink (10% reduction) and let the aircraft approximately 20 kg lighter than with the traditional process.

The black windshield, between the glass, is the specific detail of the A350 for all airlines, turning out in a hallmark of this model.

All picture. Source: Airbus

Based on the article “Airbus usou 1.200 litros de tinta para pintar A350 da TAM” published in Gazeta do Povo.

A350 Door Trainer for China Airlines.

RST Rostock System-Technik has been awarded a contract by China Airlines to design, manufacture and install an A350 door trainer.

Source: Alamy

The A350 1L door trainer will be installed at the China Airlines Training Center in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and be ready for training at the end of January 2016.

This door trainer will be the 6th A350 cabin training device that RST is installing for airlines and training centres worldwide.

Other A350 door trainers have been installed for Vietnam Airlines at Ho Chi Minh City, for Qatar Airways at Doha and for Airbus Training Centre at Toulouse.

Based on the article “A350 Door Trainer for China Airlines” published in CAT Magazine.