Airbus recently opened the final assembly line for its A350 XWB family of aircraft, giving aviation fanatics a closer look at the family of super efficient passenger planes designed to go head-to-head against rival Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and 777s.
But what exactly is this plane going to offer travelers? And why did it take Airbus so long to get it right?
First, the specs.
The XWB in the name means “wide bodied aircraft.” There are three members in the 350 family: the A350-800, the A350-900 and the A350-1000, which seat 270, 314 and 350 passengers, respectively, in three-class seating.
To date, Airbus says it has received 558 firm orders from 34 customers; 118 are for the A350-800, 352 for the A350-900 and 88 for the A350-1000. Qatar Air will become the first operator of the A350 in the second half of 2014.
For the complete story by of Karla Cripps of CNN Travel, click here.
