A350 XWB Vertical Tail Plane for MSN001 painted

Airbus has showed for first time the vertical tail plane VTP of the first flyable A350 XWB (MSN001) painted in the Airbus livery. 

The Vertical Tail Plane-VTP has been assembled at Airbus Stade-Germany with parts manufactured at Aciturri, Spanish Tier1 with design & built responsibility. Aciturri, with more than 1,100 employees at 7 facilities at Spain has a team with engineering, industrialization and manufacturing roles, working since more than 4 years in the project with a very close concurrence with Airbus team from Getafe, Hamburg and Stade in this project. Aciturri has capability to manufacture both metallic and composites parts with background in other Airbus programs.

courtesy of European Comission

The movable part of the VTP, the Rudder, has been developed by Airbus (product engineering at Hamburg) and primary parts have been manufactured and assembled by Aernnova, Spanish Tier1 in charge of the industrialization of this workpackage. The Rudder is delivered to Stade for installation in the VTP just before the final inspection and delivery to the FAL, where the VTP is final-painted with the airlines colors at the FAL. The first prototypes, the livery will be painted as this MSN001, in Airbus blue and white.

The MSN001 VTP being loaded in Hamburg in it´s way to Toulouse

The external livery of the A350 XWB, including the vertical tail plane, is painted with an environmentally friendly, chromate free primer paint. In addition, following best practice from the car industry, Airbus will use a new base coat/clear coat system which requires less paint and less solvent. This eco-efficient painting process also means that less detergent will be needed when washing the aircraft. Inside, Airbus will use a water-based paint wherever possible, one of the most environmentally friendly types of paint available.