Less than three years after its industrial launch, Airbus' A350 XWB surpassed the 500-order milestone with Ethiopian Airlines' firm order for 12 of these next-generation aircraft, which was announced at the 2009 Dubai Airshow. This new Airbus customer will operate the A350-900 version from its hub in the capital city of Addis Ababa on routes to Europe, the U.S. and Asia - bringing a new level of passenger comfort and fuel efficiency to its expanding operations. Firm orders for the A350 XWB now stand at 505 aircraft from 32 customers worldwide.
Airbus’ mid-sized, long-haul A330-200 Freighter lands on Runway 32 at the company’s Toulouse, France headquarters facility after its 5 November 2009 first flight
(Left to right) Philippe Perrin, Martin Scheuermann, Stephane Vaux, Pascal Verneau and Wolfgang Brueggemann comprised the crew for the first flight of the A330-200F on 5 November 2009
Test pilot Philippe Perrin was at the controls of the A330-200F during its milestone 5 November 2009 first flight from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France
The crew (from left to right) of Pascal Verneau, Philippe Perrin, Wolfgang Brueggemann, Martin Scheuermann and Stephane Vaux were aboard the A330-200F for its 5 November 2009 maiden flight
Airbus’ mid-sized, long-haul A330-200 Freighter – “the right aircraft, right now” – completed its successful maiden flight from Toulouse, France on 5 November 2009
Air New Zealand – which operates 12 A320s on short-haul international routes – has ordered 14 of these aircraft to replace its current domestic fleet of Boeing 737-300s (3 November 2009)
