By Leandro Maldonado
Roll-out of the very first Airbus A350 for Brazil’s TAM airlines. ©F.Lancelot/Airbus
Toulouse, France, 16 September 2015 — Still without its two engine nacelles, the first A350 XWB for TAM Airlines of Brazil rolled out of the Airbus paint shop in Toulouse, revealing the aircraft in its signature red, white and blue livery. The aircraft will continue through the next stages of production, including the installation of engines, completion of cabin furnishing and cockpit fitting, before starting ground and flight tests. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery to TAM Airlines in December.
TAM will become the first airline from the Americas to fly the A350 XWB and the fourth operator in the world. LATAM Airlines Group, made up of LAN Airlines of Chile and TAM Airlines of Brazil, has ordered so far 27 A350-900. The carrier will start operating the A350 XWB in January 2016 between São Paulo and Manaus, Amazonas, followed by international operations between São Paulo and Miami, and Sao Paulo and Madrid.
The A350 XWB is the latest addition to the market-leading Airbus widebody product line. The A350-900 seating up to 325 passengers in a three class layout can fly on routes of up to 7,600 nautical miles. It features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies bring unrivaled level of operational efficiency, with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs.
For passengers, the A350 XWB brings new levels of in-flight comfort, with more personal space in all classes. In business class, airlines can install the most luxurious full-flat seats, while the extra wide fuselage allows comfortable 18-inch 9 abreast seat layouts in economy class. The aircraft also features wider panoramic windows, larger overhead stowage compartments and a new draught-free air conditioning system, as well as the latest in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems. At the end of August 2015, the A350 XWB had won 782 firm orders worldwide from 40 customers.
The first delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways took place on 22 December 2014.The first commercial flight was made on 15 January 2015 between Qatar and Germany. Finnair and Vietnam Airlines received their first A350 a while ago.;The production rate of the A350 XWB should rise from three aircraft per month in early 2015 to five at the end of 2015, and should ramp to ten aircraft per month by 2018. 17 planes should be delivered in 2015, and the initial dispatch reliability is 98%.
