The most perfect designs often are found in nature. That’s why Airbus looks to learn from the natural world when designing and improving upon its aircraft. As the newest member of the company’s wide-body family, the A350 is an example of how this inspirational blend of science and nature represents another significant evolution in the ongoing mission to conceive and manufacture the perfect aircraft.
The A350 has learned from nature to help ensure a healthy future for the planet, whether it’s the revolutionary adaptive wing design – inspired by birds – which morphs while airborne to achieve maximum aerodynamic efficiency by optimising wing loading, reducing drag and lowering fuel burn; or the savings generated by innovative technological advances.
Designed with passengers and airlines at heart, the A350 benefits from being built with over 70% advanced materials; combining carbon composites (53%), titanium and modern aluminium alloys, to create a lighter and more cost-efficient aircraft while also reducing maintenance requirements. The latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent engines are quieter and more efficient.
The combination of these advantages result in 25% lower operating costs, fuel burn and CO2 emissions when compared with previous-generation aircraft – showing Airbus’ commitment to protecting the environment while remaining at the cutting edge of air travel.
It’s not only the technology that has been transformed. When Airbus designed the A350, a cabin was created that is so comfortable it revolutionised the approach to all of the company’s aircraft interiors. As the founding member of the Airspace cabin family, passengers on the A350 can experience a feeling of on-board comfort like never before.
The aircraft’s innovative design delivers a feeling of spaciousness wherever you look, with wider seats, high ceilings and alluring ambient lighting. Airbus has produced the perfect environment in which to enjoy flying to any long-haul destination. The A350’s cabin also is the quietest on a twin-aisle aircraft, and its advanced technology delivers the highest possible air quality with optimised cabin altitude (6000 ft.), temperature and humidity, with the air being renewed every two-to-three minutes. Passengers can relax knowing that Airbus has thought of everything to ensure that they can arrive feeling fresh.
Long journeys pass quickly with the latest-generation in-flight experience. Integrated connectivity lets passengers stay in touch with the rest of the world, while smart galleys and comfortable crew rest areas provide cabin crew with a pleasant working environment that makes it even easier to look after passengers.
It’s no surprise that this brilliantly-designed aircraft is one of the most versatile in the sky. The A350 actually offers true long-range capability of up to 8,100 nautical miles, but can also be easily configured to operate both regional and ultra-long haul routes (up to 9,700 nm), demonstrating unrivalled operational flexibility.
The A350 Family lower deck cargo compartments are designed to transport a large variety of belly cargo (baggage, freight, sport gear, buggies, kennels, etc.) boosting airline revenues.
A350
Discover why the A350 is the right fit for you
A350 Family media gallery
H.E. François-Xavier Léger, Ambassador of France to Nepal, and Ms. Leela Devaradjalou, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of France in Nepal, with the crew of an A350 test flight that delivered Covid-19 relief cargo donated by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS). The solidarity mission was supported by the Airbus Foundation, which helped move the medical supplies from Toulouse, the headquarters of Airbus, to Kathmandu on Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Together with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS), the Airbus Foundation delivered 7 tons of medical supplies as part of a Covid-19 solidarity mission to Nepal on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. An A350 test flight ferried the cargo from Toulouse, the headquarters of Airbus, to Kathmandu
On both the A330neo and A350, the Satellite Landing System (SLS) enables pilots to fly GPS satellite-based approaches, providing lateral and vertical guidance, into airports which are neither equipped with a GBAS ground station nor any functioning radio-based ILS infrastructure. It also allows pilots to do so in the very same manner as they would for a traditional VHF radio-beam ILS approach, since it uses the same ILS symbology.”
Runway Overrun Prevention System (ROPs) alerts the crew if the aircraft is coming in to land with too much energy, should they be too high or too fast, and take into account whether the runway is “wet” or “dry”. Such early warning allows the pilot to make a safe go-around decision, before the landing is committed.
Whereas previously pilots used the paper checklists; following innovation on the A350, Airbus is now implementing integrated checklists into the A330neo, giving pilots the very same digital ‘look and feel’ on both aircraft. In the A330neo these are included in the ‘electronic Quick Reference Handbook’ (eQRH), displayed on the pilot’s EFB screen.
Airbus is replacing the existing cockpit analogue radio systems with a new ‘Digital Radio and Audio Integrating Management System’. DRAIMS, which features new audio management avionics and new user control panels with a large modern digital display, multifunction keys and a numeric keypad, handles all cockpit communication tasks.
The ‘Autopilot / Flight Director Traffic Collision Avoidance System’ (AP/FD TCAS) helps A330neo and A350 pilots to proactively avoid nearby traffic -- either automatically if the the autopilot is active, or via the flight director markers which can guide the pilot to safely perform the manoeuvre manually.
