Long-range Future

As first flight looms, Airbus’s A350 series has Boeing’s popular 777 family firmly in its sights.

With the entry into service of the world’s first all-composite airliner far from smooth, it is little wonder Airbus is being a little more cautious about the flying debut of its A350.

On May 13, in a very muted affair, Airbus rolled out its first A350 from the Toulouse paint shop. It was more a celebration for some of the 12,000 staff who have worked on the project thus far, eschewing the high-profile glamour of earlier rollout events. The stance for the rollout typifies the company’s attitude to the A350 throughout the earliest stages of its campaign – it has been a deliberately measured and low key coming-out for the world’s newest twinjet. Not that this approach bears any resemblance to the internal excitement that’s building as the A350 takes to the air.