Airbus has opened a new £400m wing-manufacturing factory in Broughton, UK, to expand existing manufacturing capacity and produce high-tech carbon fibre composite wings for the A350 XWB long-range aircraft family.

The new North Factory will assemble the wings for its advanced new A350 XWB and the facility assembly line is dedicated to assembling the 31m-long wings for all members of the A350 XWB family, which is scheduled to enter service by the end of 2013.

Airbus claims that the new wings, which will be around 50% carbon fibre, will help to make the A350 25% more fuel efficient compared to other planes of a similar size.

The company has 550 orders for the 340-seat aircraft.