Yahoo – AFP,
30 Sep 2014
Paris (AFP)
- EU authorities gave the green light Tuesday for Airbus's new long-haul A350
plane to enter service, opening the way for delivery of the next-generation
aircraft to first client Qatar Airways.
Designed to
help the European manufacturer catch up with its American rival Boeing in the market
for long-haul, fuel-efficient planes, the A350-900 makes extensive use of light
composite materials which reduce fuel consumption and costs.
"Airbus
demonstrated that the aircraft complies with the regulatory safety and
environment requirements defined by EASA (the European Aviation Safety Agency)
for the European Union," the EU aviation watchdog said in a statement.
Airbus has
positioned its A350 between the Boeing's popular 777 and its 787 Dreamliner,
hoping to eat away at both planes' markets.
"Every
new type of aircraft needs to obtain a ... certificate before it can be
delivered to an airline," EASA said in its statement.
"This
EASA certificate guarantees that the A350-900 is set for delivery from a safety
and environment point of view."
The plane
can carry 315 passengers over a distance of 14.500 kilometres (9,000 miles),
and to date, 750 A350 aircraft have been ordered by 39 customers worldwide.
In August,
Airbus had announced that the plane had completed its "route
proving", a round-the-world in 20 days trip aimed at testing the
aircraft's readiness for airline operations, during which it flew 180 hours and
stopped off in 14 airports.
No comments:
Post a Comment