The 74,000 m2 FAL will employ some 1,500 people who will build up to 10 A350 XWB aircraft a month as from 2018.
The static aircraft, which will be used solely for ground tests, has nearly completed assembly, with a full fuselage, two wings and the vertical tail plane joined. The aircraft will be transferred to the static test hangar at the Toulouse Jean-Luc Lagardère site to be prepared for static tests to start in spring 2013.
The first flyable A350 XWB (MSN1) is also progressing well, with the fuselage already joined. The wing, vertical and horizontal tail plane for MSN1 are inside the FAL and will be joined to the fuselage in early November.
The A350 XWB structure is 53% composite-based, including major elements such as wings and fuselage. (See Airbus A350 XWB update.)
