Airbus A350

Design

Airbus expected 10% lower airframe maintenance compared with the original A350 design and 14% lower empty seat weight than the Boeing 777. Design freeze for the A350-900 was achieved in December 2008. The airframe is 53% composites: CFRP for the empennage (vertical and horizontal tailplanes), the wing (centre and outer box; including covers, stringers, and spars), and fuselage (keel beam, rear fuselage, skin, and frame); 19% aluminium and aluminium–lithium alloy for ribs, floor beams, and gear bays; 14% titanium for landing gears, pylons, and attachments; 6% steel; and 8% miscellaneous. The A350's competitor, the Boeing 787, is 50% composites, 20% aluminium, 15% titanium, 10% steel, and 5% other.

Fuselage

The A350 features a new composite fuselage with a constant width from door 1 to door 4, unlike previous Airbus aircraft, to provide maximum usable volume. The double-lobe (ovoid) fuselage cross-section has a maximum outer diameter of 5.97 m (19.6 ft), compared to 5.64 m (18.5 ft) for the A330/A340. The cabin's internal width is 5.61 m (18.4 ft) at armrest level compared to 5.49 m (18.0 ft) in the Boeing 787 and 5.87 m (19.3 ft) in the Boeing 777. It allows for an eight-across 2–4–2 arrangement in a premium economy layout, with the seats being 49.5 cm (19.5 in) wide between 5 cm (2.0 in) wide arm rests. Airbus states that the seat will be 1.3 cm (0.5 in) wider than a 787 seat in the equivalent configuration.

In the nine-across, 3–3–3 standard economy layout, the A350 seat will be 45 cm (18 in) wide, 1.27 cm (0.5 in) wider than a seat in the equivalent layout in the 787, and 3.9 cm (1.5 in) wider than a seat in the equivalent A330 layout. The current 777 and future derivatives have 1.27 cm (0.5 in) greater seat width than the A350 in a nine-across configuration. The 10-across seating on the A350 is similar to a 9-across configuration on the A330, with a seat width of 41.65 cm (16.4 in). Overall, the A350 gives passengers more headroom, larger overhead storage space, and wider panoramic windows than current Airbus models.

The A350 nose section has a configuration derived from the A380 with a forward-mounted nosegear bay and a six-panel flightdeck windscreen. This differs substantially from the four-window arrangement in the original A350 XWB design. The new nose, made of aluminium, improves aerodynamics and enables overhead crew rest areas to be installed further forward and eliminate any encroachment in the passenger cabin. The new windscreen has been revised to improve vision by reducing the width of the centre post. The upper shell radius of the nose section has been increased.

The Airbus A350 was initially offered with conventional manual window shades. In 2020, Airbus announced electrochromic dimmable windows, similar to those used on the Boeing 787, as an option. The windows can be electronically darkened while retaining an outside view. Starlux Airlines became the first carrier to receive A350s equipped with dimmable windows throughout the cabin, while Japan Airlines fitted them only in premium economy and higher classes, retaining manual shades in economy class.

Wing

The A350 features new composite wings with a wingspan that is common to the proposed variants. Its 64.75 m (212.4 ft) wingspan stays within the same ICAO Aerodrome Reference Code E 65 m limit as the A330/A340 and the Boeing 777. The A350's wing has a 31.9° sweep angle for a Mach 0.85 cruise speed and has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.89.

The -900 wing has an area of 442 m² (4,760 sq ft). This is between the 436.8 m² (4,702 sq ft) wing of the current Boeing 777-200LR/300ER and the 466.8 m² (5,025 sq ft) wing of the in-development Boeing 777X. However, Boeing and Airbus do not use the same measurement. The A350-1000 wing is 22.3 m² (240 ft²) larger through a 30 cm (12 in) extension to the inboard sections of the fixed trailing edge.

A new trailing-edge high-lift device has been adopted with an advanced dropped-hinge flap similar to that of the A380, which permits the gap between the trailing edge and the flap to be closed with the spoiler. It is a limited morphing wing with adaptive features for continuously optimising the wing loading to reduce fuel burn: variable camber for longitudinal load control where inboard & outboard flaps deflect together and differential flaps setting for lateral load control where inboard & outboard flaps deflect differentially.

The manufacturer has extensively used computational fluid dynamics and also carried out more than 4,000 hours of low- and high-speed windtunnel testing to refine the aerodynamic design. The final configuration of wing and winglet was achieved for the "Maturity Gate 5" on 17 December 2008. The wingtip device curves upwards over the final 4.4 m (14 ft). The wings are produced in the new £400 million (US$641M), 46,000 m² (500,000 sq ft) North Factory at Airbus Broughton, employing 650 workers, in a specialist facility constructed with £29M of support from the Welsh Government.

Undercarriage

Airbus adopted a new philosophy for the attachment of the A350's main undercarriage as part of the switch to a composite wing structure. Each main undercarriage leg is attached to the rear wing spar forward and to a gear beam aft, which itself is attached to the wing and the fuselage. To help reduce the loads further into the wing, a double side-stay configuration has been adopted. This solution resembles the design of the Vickers VC10.

Airbus devised a three-pronged main undercarriage design philosophy encompassing both four- and six-wheel bogies to stay within pavement loading limits. The A350-900 has four-wheel bogies in a 4.1 m (13 ft) long bay. The higher weight variant, the A350-1000 uses a six-wheel bogie, with a 4.7 m (15 ft) undercarriage bay. French-based Messier-Dowty provides the main undercarriage for the -900 variant, with titanium forgings from Kobelco, and UTC Aerospace Systems supplies the -1000 variant. The nose gear is supplied by Liebherr Aerospace.

Systems

Honeywell supplies its 1,300-kilowatt (1,700-horsepower) HGT1700 auxiliary power unit with 10% greater power density than the TPE331 from which it is developed, and the air management system: the bleed air, environmental control, cabin pressure control and supplemental cooling systems. Airbus says that the new design provides a better cabin atmosphere with 20% humidity, a typical cabin altitude at or below 6,000 ft (1,800 m) and an airflow management system that adapts cabin airflow to passenger load with draught-free air circulation.

The ram air turbine, with a nominal power of 50 kilovolt-amperes, is supplied by Hamilton Sundstrand and located in the lower surface of the fuselage. In light of the 787 Dreamliner battery problems, in February 2013 Airbus decided to revert from lithium-ion to the proven nickel-cadmium technology although the flight test programme will continue with the lithium-ion battery systems. In late 2015, A350 XWB msn. 24 was delivered with 80 kg (176 lb) lighter Saft Li-ion batteries and in June 2017, fifty A350s were flying with them and benefiting from a two-year maintenance schedule instead of NiCd's 4–6 months.

Parker Hannifin supplies the complete fuel package: inerting system, fuel measurement and management systems, mechanical equipment and fuel pumps. The fuel tank inerting system features air-separation modules to generate nitrogen-enriched air to reduce the flammability of fuel vapour in the tanks. Parker also provides hydraulic power generation and distribution system: reservoirs, manifolds, accumulators, thermal control, isolation, software and new engine- and electric motor-driven pump designs. Parker estimates the contracts will generate more than US$2 billion in revenues over the life of the programme.

Cockpit and avionics

The revised design of the A350 XWB's glass cockpit dropped the A380-sized display and adopted 38 cm (15 in) liquid-crystal display screens. The new six-screen configuration includes two central displays mounted one above the other (the lower one above the thrust levers) and a single (for each pilot) primary flight/navigation display, with an adjacent on-board information system screen driven by laptops running EFB software which are connected while stowed behind each pilot. Airbus says the cockpit design allows for future advances in navigation technology to be placed on the displays plus gives flexibility and capacity to upload new software and to combine data from multiple sources and sensors for flight management and aircraft systems control. An optional head-up display is also present in the cockpit.

Avionics are a further development of the integrated modular avionics (IMA) concept found on the A380. The A350's IMA will manage up to 40 functions (versus 23 functions for the A380) such as undercarriage, fuel, pneumatics, cabin environmental systems, and fire detection. Airbus stated that the benefits includes reduced maintenance and lower weight because as the IMA replaces multiple processors and LRUs with around 50% fewer standard computer modules known as line-replaceable modules. The IMA runs on a 100 Mbit/s network based on the Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet standard, as employed in the A380, in place of the architecture used on the A330/A340.

Engines

In 2005, GE was the launch engine of the original A350, aiming for 2010 deliveries, while Rolls-Royce offered its Trent 1700. For the updated A350 XWB, GE offered a 87,000 lbf (390 kN) GEnx-3A87 for the A350-800/900, but not a higher thrust version needed for the A350-1000, which competes with the longer range 777 powered exclusively with the GE90-115B. In December 2006, Rolls-Royce was selected for the A350 XWB launch engine.

The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB features a 300 cm (118 in) diameter fan and the design is based on the advanced developments of the Airbus A380 Trent 900 and the Boeing 787 Trent 1000. It has four thrust levels to power the A350 variants: 75,000 lbf (330 kN) and 79,000 lbf (350 kN) for the regional variants of the A350-900 while the baseline A350-900 has the standard 84,000 lbf (370 kN) and 97,000 lbf (430 kN) for the A350-1000. The higher-thrust version will have some modifications to the fan module—it will be the same diameter but will run slightly faster and have a new fan blade design—and run at increased temperatures allowed by new materials technologies from Rolls-Royce's research.

The Trent XWB may also benefit from the next-generation reduced acoustic mode scattering engine duct system (RAMSES), an acoustic quieting engine nacelle intake, and a carry-on design of the Airbus's "zero splice" intake liner developed for the A380. A "hot and high" rating option for Middle Eastern customers Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways keep its thrust available at higher temperatures and altitudes.

Airbus aimed to certify the A350 with 350-minute ETOPS capability on entry into service; although Airbus achieved a 370-minute ETOPS rating on 15 October 2014, which covers 99.7% of the Earth's surface. There are plans to extend this to 420 minutes in the future. Engine thrust-reversers and nacelles are supplied by US-based Collins Aerospace (formerly UTC Aerospace Systems).

Operational history

One year after introduction, the A350 fleet had accumulated 3,000 flight cycles and around 16,000 block hours. Average daily usage by first customers was 11.4 hours with flights averaging 5.2 hours, which are under the aircraft's capabilities and reflect both short flights within the schedules of Qatar Airways and Vietnam Airlines, as well as flight-crew proficiency training that is typical of early use and is accomplished on short-haul flights. Finnair was operating the A350 at very high rates: 15 flight hours per day for Beijing, 18 hours for Shanghai, and more than 20 hours for Bangkok. This may have accelerated the retirement of the Airbus A340.

In service, problems occurred in three areas. The onboard maintenance, repair, overhaul network needed software improvements. Airbus issued service bulletins regarding onboard equipment and removed galley inserts (coffee makers, toaster ovens) because of leaks. Airbus had to address spurious overheating warnings in the bleed air system by retrofitting an original connector with a gold-plated connector. Airbus targeted a 98.5% dependability by the end of 2016 and to match the mature A330 in terms of reliability by early 2019.

By the end of May 2016, the A350 fleet had flown 55,200 hours over 9,400 cycles at a 97.8% operational reliability on three months. The longest operated sector was Qatar Airways' Adelaide–Doha at 13.8 hours for 6,120 nmi (11,334 km; 7,043 mi). 45% of flights were under 3,000 nmi (5,556 km; 3,452 mi), 16% over 5,000 nmi (9,260 km; 5,754 mi), and 39% in between. The average flight was 6.8 hours, with the longest average being 9.6 hours by TAM Airlines and the shortest being 2.1 hours by Cathay Pacific's. It is able to seat from 253 seats for Singapore Airlines to 348 seats for TAM Airlines, with a 30 to 46 seat business class and a 211 to 318 seat economy class, often including a premium economy. A total of 49 A350s were delivered to customers in 2016. It was also planned that the monthly rate would grow to 10 by the end of 2018, which was eventually achieved in 2019 when Airbus delivered 112 aircraft over a period of 11 months.

In January 2017, two years after introduction, 62 aircraft were in service with 10 airlines. They had accumulated 25,000 flights over 154,000 hours with an average daily utilisation of 12.5 hours, and transported six million passengers with a 98.7% operational reliability. Zodiac Aerospace encountered production difficulties with business class seats in their Texas and California factories. After a year, Cathay Pacific experienced cosmetic quality issues and upgraded or replaced the seats for the earliest cabins. In 2017, average test flights before delivery decreased to 4.1 from 12 in 2014, with an average delay down to 25 days from 68. Its reliability was 97.2% in 2015, 98.3% in 2016, and 98.8% in June 2017, just behind its 99% target for 2017.

In June 2017 after 30 months in commercial operation, 80 A350s were in service with 12 operators, the largest being Qatar Airways with 17 and 13 each at Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines (SIA). The fleet average block time (time between pushback and destination gate arrival) was 7.2 hours with 53% below 3,000 nmi (5,556 km; 3,452 mi), 16% over 5,000 nmi (9,260 km; 5,754 mi), and 31% in between. LATAM Airlines had the longest average sector at 10.7 hours, and Asiana had the shortest at 3.8 hours. Singapore Airlines operated the longest leg, Singapore to San Francisco 7,340 nmi (13,594 km; 8,447 mi), and the shortest leg, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur 160 nmi (296 km; 184 mi). Seating varied from 253 for Singapore Airlines to 389 for Air Caraïbes, with most between 280 and 320.

As of February 2018, 142 A350-900s had been delivered, and were in operation with a dispatch reliability of 99.3%. As of November 2019, 33 operators had received 331 aircraft from 959 orders, and 2.6 million hours have been flown.

On 30 September 2022, the 500th A350, an A350-900, was delivered to Iberia.

As of June 2026, the global A350 fleet of 717 aircraft with 5.15 years average age had completed more than 15 million flight hours on more than 1,400 routes, and had carried more than 600 million passengers since its entry into service; the fleet had 99.28% operational reliability in the last 3 months.

Qatar Airways paint dispute

In August 2021, as several A350s were sent in to be repainted in a scheme advertising the 2022 FIFA World Cup (played in Qatar), Qatar Airways discovered that their paint was unusually degraded. The airline grounded its A350s until the root cause could be determined, and would not accept new aircraft deliveries until the problem could be solved. The European civil aviation regulator, EASA, found that paint degradation did not affect the aircraft structure or introduce "other risks". The Qatari civil aviation regulator was the only one that agreed with the airline that it was an airworthiness issue.

In November 2021, Reuters found that Finnair, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Lufthansa and Air France had also complained of paint damage as early as 2016. Singapore Airlines had not detected such problems with its fleet.

On 20 December 2021, Airbus received a formal legal claim in the English courts filed by Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways alleged that the surface flaws cause the risk of fuel tank ignition due to the degradation in lightning protection over the fuel tanks in the wings. Qatar Airways claimed it was owed US$200,000 per day in compensation for each grounded aircraft. Meanwhile, according to a Flight International editorial, Airbus's decision to cancel Qatar's outstanding orders indicated that it was certain of its case. The court hearing was originally scheduled for summer 2023.

Both Airbus and Qatar Airways agreed to settle the dispute on 1 February 2023. While the settlement was confidential, Flight International believed that Airbus achieved a more favourable outcome, opining that there was no major impact to Airbus's finances, the A350's reputation remained intact and Qatar's A321neos would nevertheless be delivered.

Variants

The three main variants of the A350 were launched in 2006, with entry into service planned for 2013. At the 2011 Paris Air Show, Airbus postponed the entry into service of the A350-1000 by two years to mid-2017. In July 2012, the A350's entry into service was delayed to the second half of 2014, before the -900 began service on 15 January 2015. In October 2012, the -800 was due to enter service in mid-2016, but its development was cancelled in September 2014 in favour of the reengined Airbus A330neo. The A350 is also offered as the ACJ350 corporate jet by Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), offering a 20,000 km; 12,400 mi (10,800 nmi) range for 25 passengers for the -900 derivative.

A350-900

The A350-900 (ICAO code: A359) is the first A350 model; it has a MTOW of 283 tonnes (624,000 lb) when powered by the Trent XWB-84 or 255 tonnes (562,000 lb) when powered by the Trent XWB-75, typically seats 325 passengers, and has a range of 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi). Airbus says that per seat, the Boeing 777-200ER should have a 16% heavier manufacturer's empty weight, a 30% higher block fuel consumption, and 25% higher cash operating costs than the A350-900. The −900 is designed to compete with the Boeing 777-200LR and 787-10, while replacing the Airbus A340-500 and Boeing 777-200ER.

A proposed A350−900R extended-range variant was to feature the higher engine thrust, strengthened structure, and landing gear of the 308-tonne (679,000 lb) MTOW -1000 to give a further 800 nmi (1,500 km; 920 mi) range.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced in 2016 that it will replace its A340-300 with an A350-900HGW ("high-gross weight") variant available from 2017, which it received in July 2018. It enabled non-stop Manila-New York City flights without payload limitations in either direction, a 7,404 nmi (13,712 km; 8,520 mi) flight. The PAL version will have a 278 tonnes (613,000 lb) MTOW, and from 2020, the -900 will be proposed with the ULR's 280 tonnes (620,000 lb) MTOW, up from the 268 tonnes (591,000 lb) for the original weight variant and the certified 260, 272, and 275 tonnes (573,000, 600,000, and 606,000 lb) variants, with the large fuel capacity. This will enable an 8,100 nmi (15,000 km; 9,300 mi) range with 325 seats in a three-class layout.

In early November 2017, Emirates committed to purchase 40 Boeing 787-10 aircraft before Airbus presented an updated A350-900 layout with the rear pressure bulkhead pushed back by 2.5 ft (76 cm). After Emirates' Tim Clark was shown a ten-across economy cabin and galley changes, he said the -900 is "more marketable" as a result.

The average lease rates of the first A350-900s produced in 2014 were $1.1 million per month, not including maintenance reserves amounting to $18 million after 10–12 years, and falling to $940,000 per month in 2018 while a new A350-900 is leased for $1.2 million per month and its interior can cost $12 million, 10% of the aircraft. By 2018, a 2014 build was valued $108M falling to $74.5M by 2022 while a new build was valued for $148M, a 6+12 year check cost $3M and an engine overhaul $4–6.5M.

A350-900ULR

Designated as weight variant 13 (WV013), the MTOW of the ultra-long range -900ULR has been increased to 280 t (620,000 lb) and its fuel capacity increased from 141,000 to 165,000 L (37,000 to 44,000 US gal) within existing fuel tanks, enabling up to 19-hour flights with a 9,700 nmi (18,000 km; 11,200 mi) range, the longest range of any airliner in service as of 2023. The MTOW is increased by 5 tonnes (11,000 lb) from the previously certified 275 tonnes (606,000 lb) variant. Because of the A350-900's fuel consumption of 5.8 tonnes (13,000 lb) per hour, it needs an additional 24 tonnes (53,000 lb) of fuel to fly 19 hours instead of the standard 15 hours: the increased MTOW and lower payloads will enable the larger fuel capacity. Non-stop flights could last more than 20 hours. The first −900ULR was rolled out without its engines in February 2018 for ground testing. Flight-tests after engine installation checked the larger fuel capacity and measured the performance improvements from the extended winglets. It made its first flight on 23 April 2018.

Because there are no additional structural changes to the A350-900ULR, it retains the same type certificate and model name as the baseline A350-941. The larger fuel capacity is enabled by integrating a modified fuel system to make use of the extra spaces in the centre wing box, and no auxiliary fuel tanks are fitted. The front cargo hold is disabled due to operational limits but can be reactivated depending on customer needs.

Singapore Airlines, the launch customer, uses its seven -900ULR aircraft on non-stop flights between Singapore and New York City and cities on the U.S. west coast. Singapore Airlines' seating is to range from 170 in largely business class seating up to over 250 in mixed seating. The planes can be reconfigured. They will have two seating classes. The airline received its first -900ULR on 23 September 2018, with 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats. On 12 October 2018, it landed the world's then-longest flight at Newark Liberty International Airport from Singapore Changi after 17 hours and 52 minutes, covering 16,561 kilometres (8,942 nmi; 10,291 mi) for a 15,353 kilometres (8,290 nmi; 9,540 mi) orthodromic distance. It burned 101.4 t (224,000 lb) of fuel to cover the route in 17 h 22 min: an average of 5.8 tonnes per hour (1.6 kg/s). As of 2022, the A350-900ULR is used on the longest flight in the world, Singapore Airlines Flights 23 and 24 from Singapore to New York-JFK.

At the 2015 Dubai Air Show, John Leahy noted the demand of the Persian Gulf airlines for this variant. In February 2018, Qatar Airways stated its preference for the larger -1000, having no need for the extra range of the -900ULR. Compared to the standard -900, the -900ULR additional value is likely around $2 million.

ACJ350

Airbus Corporate Jet version of the A350, the ACJ350, is derived from the A350-900ULR. As a result of the increased fuel capacity from the -900ULR, the ACJ350 has a maximum range of 20,550 km (11,100 nmi; 12,770 mi). The German Air Force is to be the first to receive the ACJ350, having ordered three aircraft which will replace its two A340-300s.

A350-900 Regional

After the Boeing 787-10 launch at the 2013 Paris Air Show, Airbus discussed with airlines a possible A350-900 Regional with a reduced MTOW of 250 t (550,000 lb). Engine thrust would have been reduced to 70,000–75,000 lbf (310–330 kN) from the standard 85,000 lbf (380 kN) and the variant would have been optimised for routes up to 6,800 nmi (12,600 km; 7,800 mi) with seating for up to 360 passengers in a single-class layout. The A350 Regional was expected to be ordered by Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines. Since 2013, there has been no further announcement about this variant.

Singapore Airlines selected an A350-900 version for medium-haul use, and Japan Airlines took delivery of a 369-seat A350-900 with a 217 t (478,000 lb) MTOW (WV018) for its domestic flight network. The A350 Type Certificate Data Sheet includes MTOWs of 210, 217, 235, 240, 250, 255, 260, 268, 272, 275, 277, 278, 280 and 283 t.

A350-1000

The A350-1000 (ICAO code: A35K) is the largest variant of the A350 family at just under 74 metres (243 ft) in length. It seats 369 passengers in a typical two-class layout with a range of 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi). With a 9-across configuration, it is designed to replace the A340-600 and compete with the Boeing 777-300ER and proposed 777-8. Airbus estimates a 366-seat -1000 should have a 35 tonnes (77,000 lb) lighter operating empty weight than a 398-seat 777-9, a 15% lower trip cost, a 7% lower seat cost, and a 400 nmi (740 km; 460 mi) greater range. Compared to a Boeing 777-300ER with 360 seats, Airbus claims a 25% fuel burn per seat advantage for an A350-1000 with 369 seats. The 7 m (23 ft) extension seats 40 more passengers with 40% more premium area. The -1000 can match the 40 more seats of the 777-9 with a 10-across seating configuration but diminished comfort.

The A350-1000 has an 11-frame stretch over the −900 and a slightly larger wing than the −800/900 models with trailing-edge extension increasing its area by 4%. This will extend the high-lift devices and the ailerons, making the chord bigger by around 400 mm (16 in), optimising flap lift performance as well as cruise performance. The main landing gear is a 6-wheel bogie instead of a 4-wheel bogie, put in a one frame longer bay. The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine's thrust is augmented to 430 kN (97,000 lbf). These and other engineering upgrades are necessary so that the −1000 model maintains range.

It features an automatic emergency descent function to around 10,000 ft (3,000 m) and notifies air traffic control if the crew fails to respond to an alert, indicating possible incapacitation from depressurisation. The avionics software adaptation is activated by a push and pull button to avoid mistakes and could be retrofitted in the smaller -900. All performance targets have been met or exceeded, and it remains within its weight specification, unlike early −900s.

Its basic 308 t (679,000 lb) MTOW was increased to 311 t (686,000 lb) before offering a possible 316 t (697,000 lb) version. Its 316 t MTOW appeared on 29 May 2018 update of its type certificate data sheet. This raised its range from 7,950 to 8,400 nmi (14,720 to 15,560 km; 9,150 to 9,670 mi). A further MTOW increase by 3 t (6,600 lb), to a total of 319 t (703,000 lb) was under study to be available from 2020 and could have been a response to Qantas' Project Sunrise.

In November 2019, maximum accommodation increased to 480 seats from 440 through the installation of new "Type-A+" exits, with a dual-lane evacuation slide. On 17 December 2021, French Bee took delivery of the first A350-1000 in this 480-seat configuration, leased by Air Lease Corporation and to be operated from Paris to Réunion, with 40 premium and 440 economy seats.

In October 2023, the variant's MTOW was raised again to 322 t (710,000 lb).

A350-1000ULR

In December 2019, Qantas tentatively chose the A350-1000 to operate their Project Sunrise routes, before a final decision in March 2020 for up to 12 aircraft. Initial speculation suggested that the variant might be marketed as the A350-1000ULR. However, the -1000 was not expected to share the -900ULR's larger fuel tanks and other fuel system modifications, and Airbus had stopped short of describing the largest MTOW variant as a ULR model, despite the 8,700 nmi (16,100 km; 10,000 mi) range. After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was confirmed on 2 May 2022, when Qantas placed a formal order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft for Project Sunrise flights to originally start in 2025.

On 6 June 2024, Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace, confirmed at the 80th International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM in Dubai, that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had approved the design of the rear centre tank (RCT) that allowed the aircraft to fly the distances required, following a requested redesign. With Airbus integrating the tank into the A350-1000 for flight testing in early 2025 for delivery to the group in mid-2026.

On 6 November 2025, Airbus and Qantas released a set of pictures of the upcoming first ultra long range A350-1000 variant (MSN 707) with a confirmed marketing name as A350-1000ULR being displayed on the aircraft.

A first test flight for Project Sunrise was carried out on 23-24 July 2026 from Toulouse to Melbourne. The flight time was 19 hours and 12 minutes. The return flight on 27-28 July 2026 involved 24 hours and 25 minutes of flight time and covered a distance of roughly 12,460 nautical miles (23,080 km; 14,340 mi).

A350F

An A350-900 freighter was first mentioned in 2007, offering a similar capacity to the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F with a range of 9,250 km (5,000 nmi; 5,750 mi), to be developed after the passenger version. In early 2020, Airbus was proposing an A350F before a potential launch. The proposed freighter would be slightly longer than the A350-900 and Airbus would need 50 orders to launch the $2–3 billion programme. In July 2021, the Airbus board approved the freighter development. As of 2021, it is based on the -1000 version for a payload over 90 tonnes, and entry into service targeted for 2025.

The A350F, also referred to by Airbus as the A350-1000F, would keep the 319-tonne MTOW previously announced for the passenger A350-1000 on a shortened fuselage, but the proposed design remains 6.9 m (23 ft) longer than the Boeing 777F with 10% larger freight volume at 695 m³ (24,500 cu ft). With a main deck cargo door behind the wing and reinforced main deck aluminium floor beams, its 111 t (245,000 lb) payload is higher than the 103.7 t (229,000 lb) of the 777F, while its empty weight is 30 tonnes (66,000 lb) lighter than the A350-1000, 20 tonnes (44,000 lb) lighter than the 777F. The 70.8 m (232 ft) long cargo variant should have a 4,700 nmi (8,700 km; 5,400 mi) range at 109 tonnes structural payload.

At the November 2021 Dubai Air Show, US lessor Air Lease Corporation became the launch customer with an order for seven to be delivered around 2026, among other Airbus airliners. Air Lease Corporation cancelled its launch order in August 2025. The launch operator of the A350F was initially planned to be Singapore Airlines, which ordered seven aircraft at the 2022 Singapore Airshow with deliveries expected to begin in 2026. In February 2025, Airbus announced that entry-into-service would be delayed until 2027 due to supply chain issues, particularly with Spirit Aerosystems which supplies the central fuselage section. After Air Lease Corporation's order cancellation, CMA CGM Air Cargo claimed in August 2025 that it would be the launch operator. In March 2026, Atlas Air announced a firm order for 20 A350Fs, marking the first time in its history that it would operate non-Boeing aircraft.

The A350F prototype made its first test flight from Airbus' Toulouse facility on 29 September 2026.

Comparison of variants

Below is a list of major differences between the A350 variants.

Operators

There are 733 A350 aircraft in service with 38 operators and 66 customers as of August 2026. The five largest operators are Singapore Airlines (65), Qatar Airways (63), Cathay Pacific (48), Air France (46), and Delta Air Lines (41).

Orders and deliveries

The 1,000 order milestone was surpassed by the A350 aircraft family in June 2023 and by the A350-900 aircraft family member exactly two years later, in June 2025. The A350 has 1,624 firm orders from 66 customers, of which Turkish Airlines is the largest with 110 orders, and 734 aircraft have been delivered as of August 2026.

Accidents and incidents

The A350 has had one hull-loss accident as of July 2026. Although there were no fatalities onboard the A350, there were five fatalities involving another aircraft on the ground.

• On 2 January 2024 Japan Airlines Flight 516, an A350-900 flying from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, collided after touchdown with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 operated by the Japan Coast Guard. The A350 caught fire and was completely destroyed, though all 367 passengers and 12 crew members successfully evacuated from the aircraft via the emergency slides, with 17 injuries reported and no fatalities in the Japan Airlines aircraft. Five of the six crew members aboard the Coast Guard aircraft were killed; the sole survivor was the captain, who suffered serious injuries. The Japan Coast Guard aircraft was delivering supplies as part of relief efforts following the Noto earthquake the previous day. Investigations have determined that Japan Airlines Flight 516 was given landing clearance, while the Coast Guard aircraft did not have permission to be on the runway.

Specifications (A350-941, with Trent XWB-84 engines)

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Capacity: 53.3 t (118,000 lb)
  45.9–56.4 t (101,300–124,300 lb)
• Length: 66.80 m (219 ft 1.9 in)
• Wingspan: 64.75 m (212 ft 5.2 in)
• Wing area: 442 m² (4,760 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 115,700 kg (255,075 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 283,000 kg (623,908 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 140,795 L (37,194 US gal; 30,971 imp gal)
• Seating: 315
• Lower deck cargo: 36 LD3 or 11 pallets
• Cabin width: 5.61 m (18 ft 5 in) with 18-inch-wide (46 cm), 9-across seating
  5.71 m (18 ft 9 in) with 16.8-inch-wide (43 cm), 10-across seating
• Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 high-bypass turbofan, 374.5 kN (84,200 lbf) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 950 km/h (591 mph, 513 kn)
• Cruise speed: 903 km/h (561 mph, 488 kn)
• Range: 15,750 km (9,600 mi, 8,500 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 13,100 m (43,100 ft)
• Takeoff distance: 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
• Landing distance: 2,000 m (6,600 ft)