After successfully completing its test flights, Airbus’ new A350-1000 has commenced its three-week demonstration tour of the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
The first stop was Doha, home of Qatar Airways who will become the global launch customer of the A350-1000 in less than a month.
According to Reuters, the delivery date of the first-ever A350-1000 has now been pencilled in as: “between February 15 and February 20” – the delay reportedly due to issues with installing Qatar’s complex Qsuite configuration in business class. The airline has a total of 37 aircraft on order.
Flying as MSN065, the test aircraft includes a fully functional cabin fitted with 40 business class, 36 economy plus and 219 comfort economy class seats.
The mid-sized, long-haul aircraft performed a fly-by over the Doha corniche to commence its tour.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Airbus A350-1000 test aircraft to Doha as part of its Demonstration Tour. Its arrival in Doha, as the first stop on this tour, has extra special significance for the people of Qatar, as Qatar Airways is the global launch customer for this incredible technologically-advanced aircraft. With this addition to our existing modern fleet, we will continue to set the standard in air travel for years to come.”
After Doha, the 30,000 mile tour will also be taking in Muscat, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Hanoi, Singapore (coinciding with the Singapore Airshow 2018), Bangkok, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, and Manila.