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 executives outlined the company's solid performance in 2008 and provided an outlook for the coming year during the annual press conference (15 January 2009)
Together at A350 final assembly facility’s 14 January 2009 groundbreaking event are (left to right): A350 XWB programme head Didier Evrard, Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders, and COO Fabrice Brégier
President and CEO Tom Enders (at left), COO Fabrice Brégier and Didier Evrard, Head of the A350 Programme, pose with ceremonial shovels at Airbus’ A350 XWB final assembly line groundbreaking ceremony
The new A350 XWB final assembly facility will employ a streamlined process that reduces the amount of time from the start-up of final assembly to aircraft delivery by 30 per cent (14 January 2009)
Speaking at the groundbreaking event for the A350 XWB final assembly line, President and CEO Tom Enders said Airbus’ newest jetliner is the fastest-selling aircraft of all time (14 January 2009)
During the A350 XWB final assembly facility’s groundbreaking ceremony, President and CEO Tom Enders underscores the optimised industrial process for this new jetliner family (14 January 2009)
The A350 XWB final assembly line’s groundbreaking ceremony was preceded by a media briefing with Airbus COO Fabrice Brégier (at right) and Didier Evrard, Head of the A350 Programme (14 January 2009)
The start-up of construction for the new A350 XWB final assembly line in Toulouse, France is marked by a symbolic groundbreaking with Airbus officials (14 January 2009)
To be built in an L-shaped arrangement, the new A350 XWB final assembly line in Toulouse, France will cover a total area of 7.4 hectares (14 January 2009)
