A350 XWB fuselage panel cured

Premium Aerotec has successfully completed the curing of the Airbus A350 XWB’s largest fuselage panel at its Nordenham, Germany factory.

Measuring 93 square metres, the carbon fibre panel is for the forward right-hand fuselage of the A350, and will undergo ultrasonic inspection, trimming and drilling before being joined with various other panels that make up the forward fuselage (Section 13-14).

Airbus said it opted for large fuselage panels on the A350 XWB design “so they can be tailored in terms of their thickness according to the different loads required at each part of the airframe”. “This approach enables Airbus to optimise the airframe overall which results in enhanced performance, greater robustness and less weight.”