Flying start for new Airbus
THE test crew wave to well-wishers on the ground at Blagnac airport, near Toulouse, after the Airbus A350 made its maiden flight.
Yesterday’s flight lasted about four hours and marks a key step on the path to full certification.
More than half of the A350 – Airbus’s first all-new plane in eight years – is made up of lightweight carbon-fibre, designed to save on jet fuel, which makes up about half the cost of long-haul flights
US rival Boeing, which is still recovering from problems with the lithium batteries on its 787 Dreamliner, currently dominates the long-haul wide-body market with the 787 and 777.