Airbus A350 completes maiden flight

The newest aircraft from European planemaker Airbus has successfully completed its maiden test flight. The Airbus A350 is designed to be more fuel-efficient, and a direct competitor to US rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. It is seen as vital to the future of Airbus, which competes with Boeing to supply the majority of the world's airlines with new planes. It took off from Blagnac airstrip in the French city of Toulouse, where the A350 is assembled, on Friday morning. The plane made a fourour trip and landed back at Toulouse shortly after 1pm. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote Airbus's caution over the A350's development may help to explain why the aircraft will not be making its public bow at this year's aerospace industry showcase, the Paris Air Show” End Quote Theo Leggett Business reporter, BBC News The plane Airbus did not want built Boeing's Dreamliner has proved popular since its first flight in 2009, despite recently being grounded by regulators over safety fears relating to its batteries. Major milestone Airlines are being squeezed by high fuel costs and falling passenger numbers, and are looking for more fuel-efficient aircraft. Airbus claims the A350, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, will use about 25% less fuel than previous generation wide-bodied aircraft. Like the Dreamliner, the A350 is made largely of advanced materials, particularly carbon composites, in order to save weight. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. //

Airbus A350 completes maiden flight 2013-06-16T12:02:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999