Airbus has delivered its 100th A350 XWB, just some 30 months after the first delivery of the world's most modern widebody aircraft in December 2014. The 100th aircraft delivered is an A350-900 for China Airlines.

"The 100th A350 XWB milestone comes as we reach our fastest widebody production ramp-up, on track to meet the target of 10 A350 deliveries per month by the end of 2018," said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus COO and President Commercial Aircraft. "We are especially proud to deliver today's aircraft to our long-standing customer China Airlines. The A350 is setting new standards for long haul air travel in terms of efficiency and comfort, thus being the perfect aircraft for China Airlines to expand its long-haul network."

"China Airlines is happy to be receiving the 100th A350 XWB," said Nuan-shuan Ho, Chairman of China Airlines. "This remarkable new aircraft has not only met, but exceeded our expectations at every level. This includes operational efficiency, the step-change reduction in fuel consumption and the in-flight comfort standards it offers our passengers. Worldwide demand for air travel will continue to grow strongly, especially on long haul routes linking Asia with Europe and North America. The A350 XWB is one of the key assets in our fleet and will be the basis for the development of our long haul route network."

To date the A350 has been delivered to 14 airlines worldwide and is flying with an outstanding operational reliability rate of 99%*. "This is a remarkable statistic at this early stage of the programme," Fabrice Bregier adds.

The A350 XWB features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs. As the founding member of "Airspace by Airbus" cabin brand, the A350 XWB cabin provides passengers and crews the best in comfort, well-being and technology.

The A350-1000 is the new member of the A350 XWB family and benefits from its high level of commonality with the A350-900. Scheduled for Type Certification and first Customer delivery in the fourth quarter of 2017, the A350-1000 is currently performing an intensive and successful flight test campaign.

To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 847 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 45 customers worldwide, already making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.

Contributed by Airbus