Qatar Airways finally took the first commercial flight of its newest jet, the Airbus (EADSY, Financial) A350 XWB. The Persian Gulf airline has been the lucky one to become the world’s first operator to fly the avant-garde jet. The event marks an important milestone for the European aero major since the jet is its answer to Boeing’s (BA, Financial) 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing is the undisputed champion in the wide-body jet segment, but now analysts and industry experts feel the competition will get tougher for the American company with the A350 in the skies. The built-from-scratch model is Airbus’ trump card to combat in its wide-body battle with Boeing. Airbus expects the jet to gain good traction and shake Boeing’s dominance in this space.
First delivery flight for the Airbus A350, taxiing before leaving Toulouse to Doha, Picture taken from Wikimedia Commons
A350 finally hits the world’s runways
The A350 XWB was supposed to get delivered to Qatar in the first half of December 2014. But Qatar postpone the deliveries without citing reasons. The Gulf airline operator is known for its history of withholding deliveries on account of CEO Akbar al Baker’s demanding standards. The same had happened when Qatar took delivery of its first Dreamliner and the Airbus superjumbo A380. Al Baker denied to take delivery on account of concerns regarding the interior quality, which did not meet what the airline was looking for. But now, the first commercial flight of A350 has taken place between Doha and Frankfurt, Germany.
The A350 is a revolutionary aircraft made partially from light-weight carbon composite fibers that helps in reducing the weight, and thus increases fuel efficiency. Airbus ensured to provide larger windows in the A350 to provide better air travel experience to its passengers. Besides benefiting from better fuel efficiency, the A350 customers, awaiting delivery of the plane, will also be able to convert their loss making non-stops flights on certain routes profitable.
Source: Airbus
A350 XWB can turn the table for Airbus
Analysts closely following the industry believe there is huge upside potential for the aircraft. The jet entered service after three and a half years since the 787 Dreamliner debuted. Airbus has definitely lost some time because of this, but the jet’s popularity and ground breaking technology should help in catching up with the Dreamliner.
The Dreamliner is the first aircraft bragging the use composite material which substantially improves the fuel efficiency. However, Boeing has faced several hiccups in the plane’s development, and even now, the aircraft keeps suffering from technical snags. In such a circumstance, if Airbus A350 XWB is able to deliver what it is expected to, it could unseat Boeing and overtake its dominance in the wide-body market. Thus, the A350 XWB is a very crucial program for the European major in deciding where its future lies in the wide-body market.
The A350 is the most modern and advanced jet in the sky. Boeing does not have any new or upgraded wide-body offering in the near future, or at least in the next 10 years. Although Airbus lost its biggest order for 70 A350s from Emirates that landed in the coffers of its American rival in terms of orders for 150 777 and 777X, the game isn’t over yet.
Airbus is keen on the model as it believes the jet can turn out to be the backbone of inter-continental air travel and give Boeing 787 and 777 a tough competition. A350’s larger model that will take on the 777-300 will be launched in 2017. The European aero major’s efforts are directed towards one thing – shattering Boeing’s dominance in the wide-body segment. However, it’s time to stay updated regarding the A350 to assess where it stands against the 787 Dreamliner.
