A350 delivery to Qatar before end of 2014; "Can't say if it's one or two" said Enders

Airbus executives confirmed again last week that the first A350 would be delivered before the end of the year to Qatar Airways, although they didn't nail down the time frame more precisely.

"The current plan is to deliver the first aircraft before the end of the year," Enders told a dozen reporters at a breakfast meeting. "Can't say if it's one or two."

The test program with 4 planes is running "at very high speed," with the 4th plane used to train pilots. The anticipated 5th version will be the production representative and will fly from May, Enders said.

"We are in really high gear over the certification preparation, which we should have in the fall," Enders said.

Based on the article “Airbus plans to deliver A350 by end of year” published in USA Today