Airbus A350-1000 gains EASA & FAA certifications

The Airbus A350-1000 has gained both EASA and FAA type certifications, the manufacturer announced Tuesday.

Type certification of the widebody Nov. 21 came almost one year after the aircraft’s first flight.

Airbus expects to deliver the first A350-1000 to launch customer and operator Qatar Airways before the end of this year. The first aircraft is in the final assembly line and will be transferred to the flight line in early December.

The A350-1000 test program comprised 1,600 hours and involved three aircraft. Around 150 flight hours were dedicated to route proving in an operating environment typical for airlines.

Airbus A350 chief engineer Alain de Zotti said all performance targets were met or exceeded. The aircraft also remained within its weight specification, unlike early versions of the A350-900, the first A350 variant to enter service.

Airbus has 169 firm orders from 11 customers for the -1000. There are 681 orders for the smaller A350-900, 122 of which had been delivered by the end of October.