The first A350 XWB, a new widebody version of the popular Airbus airliner, was delivered to Qatar Airways this week. The jet, which has been in development for about eight years, can carry up to 440 passengers and eight cabin crew. Among the features in the new aircraft are a wide fuselage cross-section with panoramic windows, LED lighting, 18-inch-wide seats in coach, and a low cabin altitude. The jet is powered by two Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines. “Handing over the first A350 XWB represents a significant step in Airbus and aviation history,” Airbus CEO Fabrice Brgier said at the delivery ceremony in Toulouse, France, on Monday. “The A350 XWB becomes the most modern aircraft in service.”
The airplane’s new carbon-fiber composite wing features droop-nose leading-edge devices and new adaptive dropped-hinge flaps, which increase efficiency at low speeds, Airbus said. For enhanced efficiency at higher speeds, the crew can deflect the wing flaps both symmetrically and asymmetrically, to optimize the wing profile. The new Rolls Royce engines, plus the aerodynamic enhancements, result in a fuel burn 25 percent less than the previous generation of comparable aircraft, according to Airbus. The A350 XWB’s first commercial flight will take place on Jan. 15, connecting Qatar Airway’s Hamad International Airport hub in Doha, Qatar, to Frankfurt, Germany.
