Airbus next-generation plane prepares for first flight
Airbus is test flying its new A350 long-haul plane two days ahead of the Bourget air show, where Airbus and Boeing traditionally vie for the spotlight.
Airbus’s new A350 plane is due to take off on its much-anticipated maiden flight on Friday, a milestone for an aircraft the firm hopes will help close the gap with rival Boeing in the lucrative long-haul market.
Weather permitting, the next-generation plane will lift off from the southwestern city of Toulouse at 0800GMT (4pm HKT) with six people on board -- a British and a French test pilot, a flight engineer and three other engineers at the back.
The test flight of the long-haul plane -- more than half of which is made of composite materials -- comes just days ahead of the Bourget air show where Boeing and Airbus traditionally vie for the spotlight over plane orders.
“All recent programmes before it, both by Airbus, Boeing and others, have had reasonably horrendous technical problems and delays,” said Nick Cunningham, an aviation analyst at the London-based Agency Partners.
“So every time you hit a milestone (such as a test flight), it’s good news because it means that you’ve missed an opportunity to have another big delay.”
If the maiden flight is successful, Airbus will enter a test flying period it hopes will last less than 18 months, and plans to deliver its first A350 at the end of next year.