The largest member of the A350 family remains on track for type certification by the end of the month, followed by first delivery in the coming weeks.
The A350-1000 has successfully completed Functional & Reliability testing and remains on track for type certification expected later this month.
In the latest phase of flight testing, MSN065 travelled across Europe and South America. The aircraft completed the final leg after landing in Toulouse, France on November 1st after flying from Barranquilla, Colombia. In less than two weeks, the aircraft flew approximately 35,200nm / 65,200km representing 150 flight hours, as per certification requirements.
These latest tests were part of an intensive Flight Test campaign which started less than one year ago designed to demonstrate readiness for airline operations. Tests included: high airfield performance, auto-landing trials, airport turnaround and handling services, cabin systems, navigation and connectivity function performance.
The A350-1000 test flight was operated by Airbus flight test crews with the participation of Airworthiness Authority pilots from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The A350-1000, which made its first flight on 24th November 2016, features a 7m fuselage stretch to accommodate 40 more passengers than the A350-900, along with a modified wing trailing-edge, new six-wheel main landing gears and more powerful Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. The overall length of the aircraft is 73.78m.
The first customer delivery, to Qatar Airways, is scheduled for the coming weeks.