European OEM Airbus has delivered the first of 18 A350-1000 to Taiwanese carrier Starlux making it the 18th operator of the type worldwide.
Starlux already has a fleet of 10 A350-900s which are deployed on long-haul routes from Taipei to North America and Europe.
The first A350-1000 was delivered wearing a special livery to mark the occasion which integrates the airlines signature livery along with a carbon-fibre style motif to signify the aircraft’s composite fuselage.
It also wears a 1000 on the fuselage signifying the type and its position as the carriers flagship aircraft.
The aircraft joins Starlux’s all airbus fleet which consists of A321neo and A330-900 aircraft alongside the A350s. The airline has also ordered 10 A350F freighters.
The wings for the Airbus A350, and all other A3XX airliners, are produced in the UK at Airbus’ wing production facility at Broughton, North Wales.
Airbus A350-1000 – Key Facts
Manufacturer: Airbus
Aircraft family: A350 XWB
Role: Long-haul widebody airliner
First flight: 24 November 2016
Entry into service: February 2018
Typical seating:
- 350–410 passengers (three-class configuration)
- Up to ~440 passengers (high-density layout)
Range: ~8,700 nautical miles (16,100 km)
Engines:
- 2 × Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97
Cruise speed:
- Mach 0.85
Maximum take-off weight (MTOW):
- Up to 319 tonnes
Fuselage length:
- 73.8 metres
Wingspan:
- 64.75 metres
Materials:
- Over 50% composite materials (carbon-fibre reinforced plastic)
Key features:
- Airbus’ longest-range and highest-capacity A350 variant
- Designed as a replacement for older Boeing 777-200/300 and Airbus A340 aircraft
- Advanced aerodynamics and lightweight structure for improved fuel efficiency
- Reduced noise footprint and lower CO₂ emissions compared with previous-generation widebodies