The aircraft equipped with Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines rolled out of the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France, fully painted, bearing Qatar Airways’ livery.
The A350 XWB is the first Airbus aircraft with a structure that is over 50% advanced composite materials. Hexcel’s HexPly® M21E/IMA carbon fibre/epoxy prepreg is used to manufacture all composite primary structures of the aircraft, including the fuselage panels, keel beam, wing and the empennage.
EASA certification
The A350-900 received Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 30 September. The certified aircraft is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification will follow shortly.
Following the EASA Type Certification, the Qatar Airways A350-900 is now entering into its final stage of production. The remaining steps up to delivery include cabin completion as well as ground and flight tests.
At the end of September 2014, the A350 XWB had 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide.