Airbus A350 XWB

History of the A350: When Boeing announced the Boeing 787 Dreamliner project, Boeing said that the lower operating costs of this aircraft would seriously undermine the Airbus A330. Airbus was initially skeptical of the announcement, stating that the 787 was merely a reaction to the A330, and saw no need to take any countermeasures. The airlines nevertheless agreed with Airbus to create a competitor, since, according to Boeing, the 787 model should consume 20% less fuel than existing analogues. Airbus initially planned to build a model based on the A330, informally known as the "A330-200Lite", with improved aerodynamics and engines similar to the Boeing 787. The initial version was conceived in 2004 with a fuselage based on the A330 and the same layout, but with a significantly updated design. Airlines were not satisfied with this option, and the idea was later abandoned at the request of potential customers. Airbus allocated €4 billion to develop a new model, called the A350. New engines, wings and tailplanes, combined with new composite materials and fuselage production methods, made the A350 almost an entirely new aircraft. In 2006, Airbus reworked the design and renamed it the A350 XWB. The company said the aircraft would be more fuel efficient, with operating costs 8% lower than the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In response to airlines' requests, Airbus significantly revised the Airbus A350 concept in mid-2006. The revised and significantly redesigned design was given the acronym XWB, or eXtra Wide Body. The new version of the aircraft competes in the air travel market with the Boeing 777, as well as some models of the Boeing 787. On December 4, 2012, the first Airbus A350 XWB "MSN1" rolled out of the hangars of the assembly shop. The A350 XWB prototype made its maiden flight on June 14, 2013 in Toulouse-Blagnac; The first aircraft to take off was the A350 XWB-900 modification with the registration number F-WXWB. The takeoff weight of the new model was 221 tons. The fl