British Airways A350-1000 Training at Shannon
Main photo by Malcolm Nason
British Airways took delivery of their first A350-1000 (G-XWBA) at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse on 29th July making it the first operator of the larger A350-1000 in International Airlines Group (IAG). In total, BA has ordered 18 A350-1000s. Iberia, which is also part of IAG, already operates five of the smaller A350-900s. The second A350-1000, G-XWBB was delivered directly to Shannon on the 19th of September. Since being delivered both aircraft have spent a lot of time at Shannon completing crew training.
The three-class layout includes 56 Club Suites, 56 World Traveller Plus and 219 World Traveller economy seats. BA operates a fleet of over 150 Airbus aircraft from the smallest A318 to the largest A380. The A350 XWB offers operational flexibility and efficiency for all market segments up to ultra-long haul (15,000 km). It features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into high levels of operational efficiency, with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions.
At the end of August 2019, the A350 XWB Family had received 913 firm orders from 51 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful wide-body aircraft ever. Thanks to Malcolm Nason and Paul Morris for the photographs.