Gallery: Airbus' Answer to the Boeing Dreamliner Is Now in Service

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    Airbus
    01

    A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-media-flight-take-off

    Qatar Airways will fly its new A350 between Doha and Frankfurt.
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    Airbus
    02

    A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-3

    The A350-XWB (for extra widebody) will come in three varieties: the A350-800, -900, and -1000, which will seat 276, 315, and 369 passengers, respectively.
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    Airbus
    03

    A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-in-flight-4

    Passengers will sit six or seven abreast in business class, and nine or 10 across in economy, depending on how the airline decides to set up the seats.
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    Airbus
    04

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    The A350's in-air testing program began in June 2013, when it flew for the first time.
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    HGE
    05

    A350 XWB-lightning-test

    The test program included zapping the plane with electricity to simulate an in-air lightning strike.
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    EXMHGE
    06

    A350-XWB-MSN1-Sanding-02

    By now, the five planes in the test fleet have logged 2,500 hours in the air.
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    07

    MAN-122-20131103-JBA-A350-MSN5-SECTIONS-ENTRY-INTO-FAL-030

    Components that go into the A350 are sent to Airbus plants in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Those plants produce the big parts of the plane, including the fuselage, wings, engines, and tail.
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    TCHAIKOVSKI Artem
    08

    Airbus A350 XWB Finnair

    Those chunks are then sent to Toulouse, where they're assembled into a finished aircraft.
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    09

    A350-XWB-lightning-test-2

    The original design of the A350 called for the use of the lithium ion batteries that are prone to overheating and caused major problems for Boeing's Dreamliner. Those troubles led Airbus to make the switch to more proven nickel cadmium batteries.
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    10

    A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-cabin-crew

    Airbus gave back some of the weight savings it gained from the use of composites to make bigger windows. The A350, it says, has the widest in the industry.
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    MASTERFILMS
    11

    Qatar-Airways-A350-XWB-Sharklet-close-up-2

    The "winglets" on the tips of the wings measure 17 feet and are designed to improve the plane's aerodynamics.
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    12

    A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-first-delivery---media-flight-take-off

    In October 2014, the A350-900 was certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency to stray as far as 370 minutes from the nearest airport. That means it can take the most direct routes between distant cities.
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    MASTERFILMS
    13

    A350-XWB-Qatar-Airways-first-delivery---ceremony-aircraft-reveal

    The delivery of the first A350 to Qatar Airways was part of a celebration that included a dramatic reveal and musical performances.
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