The 500th A350 – an A350-900 – was recently delivered to Iberia, a major European customer with 20 A350s on order and 14 in service.
Beyond a symbol, the 500th A350 marks an important milestone for Airbus and its growing versatile family, now including the A350-900, the A350-1000 and the newest Airbus freighter A350F.
“When we designed the A350 and delivered the first one, we were extremely proud to have created a real clean sheet, state-of-the-art aircraft, delivering unmatched performance and economics. It offers outstanding space, comfort and quietness to the passengers, and it contributes significantly to decarbonising aviation. The A350 is providing today a versatile platform to support our customers’ strategy in front of a more and more complex environment” says Philippe Mhun, EVP Programmes and Services at Airbus.
This 500th delivery also marks the introduction of the new Production Standard 2022 which brings additional performance and cabin improvements for both A350-900 and A350-1000. Compared to previous standards, it brings a weight reduction of up to 1.2 tonnes by optimising systems and structures and increasing the use of advanced materials.
The Maximum Takeoff Weight is also increased by 3 tonnes allowing each model to maintain its maximum range capability, beyond 8,000nm, while carrying an increased payload.
The new standard comes with a wider interior cabin at armest level. This increase in cabin space allows airlines the flexibility to offer more than 30 additional seats in a typical 3-class configuration.