All photos courtesy of Airbus
After nearly a decade of development and a last-minute delay, Airbus has handed over its newest widebody aircraft to Qatar’s national carrier – the A350 XWB.
The airplane was supposed to be delivered earlier this month, but the ceremony was abruptly postponed. Yesterday, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker explained that the issue involved one of Airbus’ suppliers, and not the France-based plane maker itself.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Toulouse, Al Baker said the delivery of the A350 signified a milestone for the aviation industry:
“The day has finally come,” he said. “Today quite simply marks a design of the decade. It has been forecasted that there will not be a brand-new aircraft type developed for another 10 years from now.”
Al Baker added that Qatar Airways’ order for 80 of the A350 airplanes seven years ago was the catalyst that prompted Airbus to design the planes in the first place.
The A350 will take its maiden commercial flight from Doha to Frankfurt on Jan. 15, 2015, according to Airline Route.
The airline is then expected to begin flying its A350s on routes to the US East Coast, USA Today reports.
Competition
Built primarily from carbon fiber, the A350 is touted by Airbus as 25 percent more fuel efficient than its long-range competitor, the 254-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The planes can also accommodate more passengers than the Dreamliner. The A350-900s ordered by Qatar Airways contain 315 seats, while the -1000 model can hold 369 passengers.
The cabins are expected to be roomier, with 18-inch wide seats in economy, extra headroom, wider panoramic windows and larger overhead storage spaces.
Qatar Airways has ordered 43 of the -900 model and a further 37 of the larger -1000 type. The latter model is not due to enter service until 2017.
Al Baker previously told reporters that after the first A350 delivery, the airline expects to receive nine aircraft by next year, followed by one a month in 2016 and two each month in 2017.
Each A350-900 is estimated to cost around $277.7 million.
In September, the national carrier also took delivery of its first A380 aircraft, the largest passenger jet in the world.
But that super-jumbo has faced diminishing interest from airlines worldwide, raising the possibility that Airbus will discontinue it as early as 2018.
Thoughts?
I wonder which piece of buyer furnished equipment was the culprit? Perhaps the floor covering in the galley again?
Many years ago, when Airbus announced the A380, Boeing was asked if it had planned a successor to the 747 as a super jumbo offering to compete. Boeing stated that their market research and client feedback clearly indicated that super jumbos would not be the target for most airlines as passengers were looking at different routes that indicated a demand for these mid-tier (787/A-350) types of planes with high efficiency and able to land at current airports. It should then be no surprise to Airbus that the A380 is going to be suspended due to lack of demand. However the A350 should be a very profitable platform for some time.
I’m looking forward to flying this one. The business class looks great
The photo of the business class cabin in the article is not from the Qatar Airways A350.
You can view images of the QA aircraft here, where you’ll see the business class offering on the A350 is nearly identical to the 787 and A380:
http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2014/12/22/on-board-qatars-a350-xwb-media-flight/
Thanks for that, still looks good and I like the bar area. Can’t beat a bar on a plane.
Qatar Airways originally configured its 4 A340-600 aircraft with an onboard bar area, back in about 2006, but they didn’t last long and were eventually removed to make way for an additional 40 economy seats.
Thankfully the new A380 has a huge bar area in it, and some very nice drinks on offer too.