A350-900 Receives Praise, Certification from EASA

Joe Cortez October 01, 2014

The A350-900 earned praise and certification from the EASA, and certification from the FAA could be coming soon.

The Airbus A350-900 is one step closer to arriving at an airport near you, thanks to Tuesday’s certification from the European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA). According to a report from FlightGlobal, the Type Certification comes after 15 months of flight testing, encompassing more than 2,600 hours of flight time.

The A350-900 incorporates many of the latest aviation technologies and has an operating range of 7,750 nautical miles. The aircraft is composed of 53 percent composite material, creating an efficient airplane capable of offering a 25 percent “step-change in fuel efficiency compared to its current long-range competitor,” according to Airbus. A typical cabin configuration will consist of two classes and accommodate 315 passengers.

The A350-900 received high praise from the EASA because of the preparation taken for the certification process. “We dealt with a very mature aircraft,” EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky told Aviation Week. “Airbus and EASA have learnt from experience and have established pragmatic working methods which have proved to be the recipe for a successful type certification and the way forward for future certification programs.”

“From an engineering point of view, it’s really a great award for the team to be able to achieve this and to know that they’ve developed an aircraft that is proven to be both reliable, able to perform and to satisfy the needs of the customer,” Chief Engineer of the A350 XWB Gordon McConnell explained in a video from Airbus. “We know then that we’ve done a good job.”

Qatar Airways is scheduled to be the first recipient of the A350-900, and it is expected to take delivery by the end of 2014. Though the aircraft has not yet received certification from the FAA, officials at Airbus are confident that it will soon follow the EASA certification without any issue. For an inside look at the A350, check out this video from Airbus.