AeroBD | The AERO news Company…FEB 22, 2016, Toulouse : Airbus has started final assembly of the first A350-1000 on schedule at the A350 XWB Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse. This A350-1000, one of three flight test aircraft to be built, will operate its maiden flight before the end of 2016.

According to Airbus, A350-1000 deliveries will start in mid-2017. To ensure the smooth integration of the A350-1000 into the FAL while A350-900 production is ramping-up, Airbus said it has added three additional final assembly stations. For maximum flexibility, all stations in the A350 XWB FAL can be used for both models.

While having a very high degree of commonality with the A350-900, Airbus said the A350-1000, measuring nearly 74 meters from nose to tail, is the longest fuselage version of Airbus’ all-new family of wide body jetliners. The A350-1000 will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. The A350-1000 seats 366 passengers in a three-class configuration and flies on routes of up to almost 8,000 nautical miles. Airbus has won 181 A350-1000 orders from 10 customers.