Singapore Airlines’ First A350-900 Performs Its Maiden Flight

Singapore Airlines’ first Airbus A350-900 performed its maiden flight on February 2, taking off from Toulouse Blagnac Airport and flying over Southwest France before landing again at Toulouse.

The A350-900, wearing Singapore Airlines’ distinctive livery, will now enter the final phase of production, according to Airbus.

On February 2, 2016, Singapore Airlines’ first Airbus A350-900 performed its maiden flight. By 2016, SIA had ordered 67 A350-900s, seven of which were of a ‘ULR’ ultra-long range version

This phase will include further ground checks and test flights, before the aircraft is prepared for delivery in the coming weeks.

The Airbus A350-900 will form the backbone of Singapore Airlines’ future mid-size widebody fleet.

Altogether the airline has ordered 67 A350-900s, for operation on long-range flights and on selected regional services within the Asia-Pacific region.

SIA’s first Airbus A350-900 is shown here about to touch down at Toulouse Blagnac Airport after performing its first flight. The aircraft’s maiden flight took place on February 2, 2016

Seven of the A350-900s will be delivered in ‘ULR’ configuration, offering an ultra-long range capability for flights of up to 19 hours.

This will allow the carrier to resume non-stop flights between Singapore and the U.S.

Each of those seven aircraft will have fewer than 200 passenger seats installed, though the majority of them will be first and business class seats.

To date, Airbus has received firm orders for 777 A350 XWB aircraft from 41 customers worldwide.