A350_XWB_paint_shop_rollout

Airbus has confirmed that it will conduct the first flight of its wide-body A350 XWB jetliner on 14 June.

The European aircraft manufacturer stated that if weather conditions permit, the A350 XWB ‘MSN1’ will take-off from Toulouse-Blagnac airport at 10am local time.

The flight test teams of the A350 XWB programme are currently conducting the final checks on the A350 XWB ‘MSN1’ prior to approving the first flight, due to take place this week.

Recent pre-first flight tests of the MSN1 aircraft include the first power-up of the fuel efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines on 2 June, following the start-up of the auxiliary power unit (APU).

In May, Airbus completed lightning strike testing for the A350 XWB at its Clément Ader facility in Colomiers, France.

Testing was conducted on the second A350 XWB flight test aircraft, MSN3, and included lightning strike simulations, as well as follow-up measurements of induced voltage/current levels on selected harnesses.

"The flight test teams of the A350 XWB programme are currently conducting the final checks on the A350 XWB ‘MSN1’ prior to approving the first flight."

In addition, the rollout of the first A350 XWB from Airbus’ Toulouse, France paint shop occurred in May after the completion of its flight-test-instrumentation verification.

The aerostructure of the A350 XWB is made primarily of composite materials such as carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, which provides more electrical resistance compared with an aerostructure comprising mostly of metallics, according to Airbus.

The A350 XWB is the mid-size long-range product line, which comprises three versions and will accommodate between 270 and 350 passengers in three-class layouts.

Scheduled to enter service in the second half of 2014, the aircraft has logged 613 firm orders to date from 33 customers worldwide.

Image: Rollout of the first A350 XWB from Airbus’ Toulouse, France paint shop. Photo: courtesy of P Masclet / Airbus SAS.

Defence Technology