A350 flies passengers

Airbus has completed successfully the 'Early Long Flight' campaign involving two A350 flights with passengers, operated consecutively by Air France and Lufthansa cabin crews on 2 and 3 June.

During the two sorties, 500 passengers, comprising Airbus employees, and some 30 cabin experts from Airbus and equipment manufacturers, were first to experience what the A350 XWB has to offer. During the flights these early passengers were tasked to try out and test the cabin systems, including air conditioning, lighting, acoustics, in-flight entertainment (IFE), galleys, electrics, toilets and water waste systems. 

Both the 'Early Long Flights' were carried out with MSN2, one of the two A350 XWB test aircraft fitted with a cabin which seats 252 passengers in a Business and Economy layout.  These flights were operated as any standard airline service.

The A350 XWB’s certification testing is progressing well says Airbus, and is on track for certification in Q3 2014, to be followed by entry into service in Q4. The first four A350s now flying have together accumulated around 1,900 flight test hours and over 440 flights.  The flight-test fleet will be completed with the fifth aircraft, MSN005, in the coming weeks.

At the end of May, the A350 had won 812 orders from 39 customers.  www.airbus.com

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