Article from BTNews 2 JULY 2018
Iberia receives first A350-900
The first off the line of the improved version of the Airbus A350-900 was handed over in Toulouse last week to Spain’s flag carrier Iberia. The airline has 16 of the aircraft on order with deliveries scheduled between now and the end of 2021.
Chairman and CEO Luis Gallego described the aircraft as “a symbol of all the changes being made in Iberia”. He added: “In the past few years, we transformed Iberia for the sake of survival. Now, we are undertaking a new transformation for the sake of excellence. And this aircraft perfectly represents this change.”
The 348-seat A350-900, registered as EC-MXV and named for Plácido Domingo, is the first of its type boasting improved aerodynamic performance and structure, thanks to the use of a large proportion of composite material in its manufacture.
This is combined with a new design of certain parts like the wings and window frames, while the reinforced landing gear enables the aircraft to take off with a maximum weight of up 280 tonnes.
Power is supplied by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, each delivering 84,000 pounds of thrust, and the twin-body aircraft has a range of 14,800km and is claimed to burns nearly 25% less fuel than similar models.
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