The latest member of the Airbus A350 family, the A350-1000, recently conducted hot and high testing to check aircraft and engine performance in high-altitude, warm and humid conditions. The A350-1000 MSN071 test aircraft flew first to Bolivia before completing its tour in Colombia and then returning to Toulouse, France, after 10 days of flight and ground tests.

Three aircraft are involved in the type certification test campaign (MSN059, MSN065 and MSN071), which will clear the way for entry into service expected later this year.

The flight test campaign took place at three different airports: Cochabamba (altitude 2,350m), La Paz (4,054m) and Barranquilla (sea level), with temperatures ranging between 8°C and 32°C . The aircraft took-off and landed several times at each airport.

According to Airbus, early test results confirm the good performance and behavior of both the aircraft and its Trent XWB-97 engines. This is a major successful milestone in the aircraft certification flight test campaign.

The hot and high tests followed cold soak testing at Iqaluit, Canada, in which the A350-1000 successfully completed ground and flight tests at temperatures between –28°C and –37°C.