Airbus A350: interior layout, features and reviews

One of the latest models of modern airliners is the Airbus A350. He is the embodiment of the most advanced ideas of engineering thought. But, of course, this airliner, despite its obvious advantages over competitors, has its drawbacks. Let's talk about the history of the development of the Airbus A350, describe its main technical characteristics, and also learn the responses of the first passengers and experts.

The ruler of "Airbus"

But first let's talk about the line of passenger airplanes of civil air transport of the company "Aerobus", as the final model of this group of airliners is just "Airbus A350".

The French company "Aerobus" was founded in 1970 by combining several manufacturers of aircraft. Since its inception, it has become one of the largest players on the market. He is engaged in the production of both civil and military equipment.

Since its inception, "Airbus" has entered into a fierce battle with the then dominant in the civil aviation market by the American firm Boeing. And, I must say, this rivalry was not unsuccessful. Already the first aircraft, produced by the European concern in 1972 (A300), has become very popular with airlines. The new airliner was the world's first twin-engine wide-body aircraft, that is, having two passages between passenger seats. In 1974, it was accepted for operation by the largest French air carrier Air France and is used to this day.

Then followed the release of the following models of airliners: A310, the family A320, A330, A340, A380. Moreover, the A320 line, along with the Boeing 737 family, is currently the most popular in the world.

The last in 2013 was released a new "Airbus A350". About him and will go further.

Prehistory of creation

The creation of the new aircraft by Airbus was planned as a response to Boeing's launch of the 777 airliner (1994) and the announcement of the Boeing-787 project (the beginning of development was 2004). The latter was positioned as the most economical aircraft in the world in its class.

In response, "Airbus" planned to release an improved and more economical version of the A330, calling it the A330-200 Lite. It was economy that was at the forefront in the development of this model, which was started to speak in the same year of 2004 when the Boeing-787 project was announced.

But, as it turned out in the design process, radical changes were required to achieve this goal. Therefore, in 2006, it was announced the launch of a new project, called "Airbus A350 XWB". The last letters were interpreted as Extra Wide Body, which in Russian means "ultra wide fuselage". It was immediately announced that the new aircraft would be more fuel-efficient than the Boeing-787, and its maintenance costs would be lower by 8%.

Process of creation

So, it was 2006 that became the starting point in the process of creating a long-haul passenger broad-body aircraft with two engines, the Airbus A350.

Actually, the development took not so much time, as usually it is necessary to create an aircraft of this class. It lasted six years. This is explained by the fact that in the course of the work a minimal amount of structural changes in the initial plan was introduced, as well as the desire of the company to finally produce a worthy competitor who began in 2009 to plow the air spaces of Boeing 787.

At the end of 2012, the aircraft under the serial number MSN1 was transported from the assembly shop. In mid-2013, he made the first test flight, and from the beginning of 2015 began regular passenger transportation airliner A350.

Modifications

It should be noted that this model had three modifications at once: A350 - 800, A350 - 900 and A350 - 1000.

"Airbus A350 - 800" began to be operated in 2014. Its salon is designed to carry 270 passengers, and the flight range is 15,700 km. This modification with a shortened fuselage.

"Airbus A350 - 900" was put into operation in the same year. Its capacity was 314 passengers, but the distance to which it could fly was slightly smaller - 15,000 km. It is this modification that is considered basic.

"Airbus A350 - 1000" made the first regular flight only in 2015. Its capacity is 350 passengers, and the range of the flight is 14,800 km. This model has an extended fuselage (in comparison with the base).

Two pilots are required to service all the named modifications.

Specifications

Now let's learn more about the design and technical characteristics of the Airbus A350.

The basic model has a length of 66.8 m, and modifications - 60.5 m and 73.8 m, respectively. The wingspan is 64 m. The height of all aircraft modifications is 16.9 m, and the working area of the wing is 443 m ² .

The main feature of the design of the new "Airbus" was that it consists of more than 50% of composite materials, which exceeds the similar figure of the "Boeing 787". Also in the A350 were applied saber-like wing tips, which were never used on other Aerobus models.

All modifications of the airliners are equipped with two Trent XWB engines, which are capable of providing a top speed of 945 km / h. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with an auxiliary engine Honeywell HGT1700.

Passenger cabin and cabin

Each of the modifications of airliners has a salon with three levels of comfort: first class, business and economy. Naturally, in each of them there are significant differences in the level of service and comfort. Passengers, depending on their financial situation and needs, can choose any of the three proposed classes in the "Airbus A350". The layout of the cabin is shown in the image below.

No aircraft in the world can do without a cockpit of pilots. This is the point from which the control of the flight of the airliner is carried out. Cabin "Airbus A350" is equipped with the latest electronic devices, created with the latest technology, which allow you to drive the car either manually or with the help of an autopilot.

Feedback from passengers and experts

And now let's find out what opinion has developed about the new aircraft from its first passengers and experts.

Most of the company's clients note the increased comfort of the passenger compartment in comparison with other models of the Airbus, as well as the special softness of the flight, without air holes and other minor troubles.

Experts emphasize that the new aircraft, indeed, is the most economical airliner in its class. Among the shortcomings leading analysts noted the high cost of production of the machine, and, accordingly, its realizable price. So, in the world market the new French aircraft, depending on its modification, costs from 260,9 to 340,7 million dollars. For comparison, "Boeing 787" is estimated in the amount of 218.3 to 297.5 million. But saving on fuel and maintenance allows more than pay back this difference in long-term operation. Also among the shortcomings there is an increased level of automatism in management, although in some cases this can be considered a virtue.

However, most of the world's experts give a generally positive assessment of the airliner "Airbus A350".

Prospects

Currently, the "Airbus A350" is recognized as the most economical and cheap in servicing the airliner of its class. According to technical characteristics, he surpassed its main competitor - "Boeing 787". Now we have to wait for the return of the American company and see what a miracle of technology it can oppose to its European rival.

High economic characteristics have made it possible to provide a large demand for a new French aircraft from the world's leading airlines. So, at the moment there are already orders for the delivery of 764 aircraft from 39 air carriers. Among them are Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways, Vietnamese Vietnam Airlines, Finnish Finnair, Portuguese TAP Portugal, Spanish Iberia. "Airbus A350", the scheme of the cabin of the aircraft allows to distribute passengers of various financial wealth as efficiently as possible, and the capacity to save on additional flights will undoubtedly be used by the customers even further, until a worthy competitor is set against it.

But the development of technology does not stand still, and the appearance of new airliners with even higher quality and economic characteristics is only a matter of time.