Airbus presented today (28/02) the first A350-900 of the Long Range version. The aircraft has just left the assembly process, and will still receive the final painting and engines.
Before the engines equip the aircraft, it will be sent to a ground test unit.
To create the A350-900 ULR (Ultra Long Range), Airbus increased the aircraft's fuel tank capacity by 24 liters, without the presence of extra tanks. A new version was created to increase the MTOW (Maximum Takeoff Weight) by 5 tons, so it will go from 275 tons from the current -900 to 280t.
In addition, Airbus equipped the aircraft with new winglets. The new winglet for the A350 is inspired by the Sharklet, used in the A320neo family, and can improve the consumption of the A2XWB by up to 350% (considering the A350-1000). In addition to increasing the height of this component, Airbus changed the design to improve airflow.
Along with other Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine modifications planned for 2020, the A350-900 will be up to 5% more fuel efficient compared to the first production A350-900 produced.
The engine upgrade and new winglets will also be made available for other versions of the A350 XWB, the first being from 2020 and the second already at the end of 2018.
The manufacturer expects to certify the aircraft soon, but has not disclosed a deadline for this. Changes are few, and the test program will be short, with a low amount of flight hours.
The first company to operate this aircraft will be Singapore Airlines, which has ordered seven aircraft to operate non-stop flights between Singapore and the United States.
The highlight goes to the Singapore-New York flight, over 15300 km away. The maximum autonomy of the aircraft is 17960 km, the longest seen in a commercial aircraft of this size.
