On 29 May, Airbus began its 50th anniversary celebrations with a special formation flight in the skies above France. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate for a planned flypast in Toulouse. Taking part in the special flight were the A220, A319neo, A330-900, A350-1000, A380, and BelugaXL. The Airbus formation was also met by the French Air Force acrobatic team Patrouille de France. (more…)
Singapore Airlines Relaunches the World’s Longest Flight with the Airbus A350ULR
1782 days after stopping service, Singapore Airlines is relaunching the world’s longest flights today as it brings back SQ21/SQ22 service between Singapore and New York (EWR). With a Great circle distance of 15,336 km, it is almost 1,000 km further than the current longest flight between Auckland and Doha operated by Qatar Airways. The return service from New York to Singapore is also the longest flight by time, with a block time of 18 hours 45 minutes. (more…)
On this episode of AvTalk, the A330neo sets off on a 5 continent adventure, aviation finds its way into the World Cup, and we find out we’re overqualified for a seemingly important aviation job in the UK. (more…)
Airbus is taking its A350-1000 on a multi-stop tour that began this weekend in Doha and concludes in Manila next month. Along the way, the aircraft will visit 12 destinations in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand before returning to Toulouse. Included in the tour is a stop at the Singapore Air Show in early February. (more…)
Airbus released its 2017 order and delivery figures on Monday, delivering a company-record 718 aircraft. Most of the aircraft delivered by Airbus in 2017 were from the A320 family, which includes the A319, A320, and A321. 181 of the A320 family aircraft were New engine option (neo) variants. (more…)
Tracking the Airbus A350-1000 Flight Test Campaign
In just under a year, the Airbus A350-1000 went from first flight to type certification. Using three test aircraft, Airbus flew throughout Europe and visited North and South America and Asia to complete the necessary flights and tests. We’ve put together a visualization showing some of the A350-1000’s flight test program as it built hours toward certification.
362 days to certification
Red: F-WMIL | Blue: F-WLXV | Yellow: F-WWXL
First flights
The A350-1000 first took flight on 24 November 2016, with MSN 059 | F-WMIL spending 4 hours 20 minutes in the skies above France.
Flight track and speed & altitude graph of the Airbus A350-1000’s first flight
And Airbus performed its first long flight passenger tests on 11 May when F-WLXV flew around Europe with a full complement of passengers and crew.
The Airbus A350-1000’s ‘Extra Long Flight’
Certification
The A350-1000 received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency and Federal Aviation Administration on 21 November 2017, paving the way for delivery of the first aircraft to launch customer Qatar Airways later this year.
On this episode of AvTalk, we welcome back Seth Miller to discuss his recent adventures on a variety of Japanese low-cost carriers and his flight on the COMAC ARJ 21. He also fills us in on the status of Operation Puerto Rico Care Lift and the upcoming Operation Gift Lift. And we recap the massive order book of the Dubai Airshow and check in on a few A380s in the news. (more…)
The Singapore Airlines A350 Begins Service to Stockholm – Arlanda
Singapore Airlines inaugurated service to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport today, beginning the first regular Airbus A350 flights to the airport. We were on hand for the flight’s arrival and received a short tour of the aircraft before it departed. (more…)
Yesterday in Toulouse the Airbus A350-1000 took flight for the first time, embarking on a yearlong flight test campaign before Qatar Airways puts the first delivery into commercial service in late 2017. (more…)
