Airbus A350-900 EASA-Certified

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The Airbus A350-900 XWB, which has been in the works for about eight years, was certified by EASA on Tuesday. FAA certification will follow soon, Airbus said. The “extra-wide-body” model can carry up to 440 passengers and eight cabin crew. “The A350 XWB embodies many extra innovative technologies which make all the difference in passenger comfort and airline efficiency,” Airbus CEO Fabrice Brgier said in a statement released on Tuesday. 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. The first copy will enter service with Qatar Airways by the end of the year.

“The A350 XWB manufacturing program has also been innovative and ambitious, aiming for a fully mature aircraft at entry into service,” said Bregier. “Our fleet of five test aircraft completed the certification campaign, on time, cost and quality. Accumulating more than 2,600 flight test hours, we created and successfully achieved one of the industry’s most thorough and efficient test programs ever developed for a jetliner.” Airbus spent about $15 billion to develop the clean-sheet design, according to Reuters. Airbus said it has more than 750 orders from 39 customers. The jet competes with Boeing’s 787.

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