Aircraft
A350 XWB MSN005 Takes Flight
Airbus has now flown its full complement of flight test aircraft.
Airbus A350-900 MSN005 takes off from Toulouse, France. (Photo: Airbus)
Airbus A350-900 MSN005 takes off from Toulouse, France. (Photo: Airbus)

The fifth and final Airbus A350-900 flight-test article took to the skies for the first time Friday, marking the start of the last phase of the 2,500-hour certification program. The second passenger cabin-equipped A350, MSN005 embodies the “operationally definitive” configuration for flight-test duties, said Airbus. Plans call for it to perform route proving and ETOPS validation ahead of certification in the third quarter of this year and first delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways in the fourth quarter.

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