100 up for A350 deliveries as Airbus reaches fastest ever widebody production ramp-up

Airbus says it has delivered its 100 A350 XWB – it was delivered to China Airlines just 30 months after the first delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways.

‘The 100 A350 XWB milestone comes as we reach our fastest widebody production ramp-up, on track to meet the target of 10 A350 deliveries per month by the end of 2018,’ said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus COO and President Commercial Aircraft. ‘We are especially proud to deliver today’s aircraft to our long-standing customer China Airlines. The A350 is setting new standards for long haul air travel in terms of efficiency and comfort, thus being the perfect aircraft for China Airlines to expand its long-haul network.’

100 up for A350 as ‘China Airlines is happy to be receiving the 100th A350 XWB,’ said Nuan-shuan Ho, Chairman of China Airlines. ‘This remarkable new aircraft has not only met, but exceeded our expectations at every level. This includes operational efficiency, the step-change reduction in fuel consumption and the in-flight comfort standards it offers our passengers. Worldwide demand for air travel will continue to grow strongly, especially on long haul routes linking Asia with Europe and North America. The A350 XWB is one of the key assets in our fleet and will be the basis for the development of our long haul route network.’

To date the A350 has been delivered to 14 airlines worldwide and is flying with an outstanding operational reliability rate of 99%. ‘This is a remarkable statistic at this early stage of the programme,’ Fabrice Bregier adds.

To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 847 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 45 customers worldwide, already making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.