Airbus test-flies A350 to rival 787 Dreamliner

Bart Jansen | USA TODAY

The Airbus A350 safely touched down Friday after its first test flight in France, a milestone in the company's effort to battle Boeing's 787 Dreamliner over the market for wide-body planes.

Thousands of people watched the flight in person, and about 60 Airbus workers celebrated at offices near Washington's Dulles Airport, applauding as the plane landed at 8:06 a.m. ET.

"Although seeing the airplane take off for the first time is exciting, the really satisfying bit is when the airplane comes back and lands," said Barry Eccleston, CEO of Airbus Americas, who wore a black "First Flight" T-shirt for the occasion.

The flight moves Airbus a step closer to delivering the A350 in the second half of 2014.

Both the A350 and the 787 are built from carbon composites that aim for greater fuel efficiency and less greenhouse-gas emissions. Cabins of both planes boast larger windows and overhead storage than comparable jets. Airbus says the 220-inch cabin width from armrest to armrest is inches more than the competition, allowing 18-inch seat width in nine-wide seating.

Airbus has 616 orders for the A350, including 50 announced this month from Singapore Airlines.

By comparison, Boeing has delivered 57 Dreamliners since starting in September 2011. Despite the craft being grounded for three months this year with battery problems, Boeing has more than 800 orders worldwide, including 42 this year from American Airlines.

Both companies will promote their planes next week at the Paris Air Show. Airbus will have its test flight under its belt, and Boeing will have two Dreamliners on hand, one to fly and one to walk around.

"With a huge backlog and a bullish long-term demand forecast, the commercial aircraft market should remain healthy over the long haul," Carol Levenson, a Gimme Credit aerospace analyst, said in a Boeing review.

The A350 is designed to seat 270 to 350 passengers in three classes and have an 8,000-mile range. The plane is projected to use 25% less fuel than comparable planes.

"It's going to be a really important plane for the U.S.," Eccleston said. "People are really going to notice this."

The four-hour test flight occurred at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. Eccleston said test pilots and engineers were looking to see how the plane handled and whether equipment such as landing gear and flaps worked as expected.

"We were looking for the handling qualities of the airplane," Eccleston said.

Brent McBratney, Airbus Americas airline marketing director, said the flight demonstrated that the company could deliver on its commitments. US Airways, Hawaiian and United each have the plane on order, and Airbus will sell the 350-1000 version as a competitor to Boeing's 777.

"It was awesome," McBratney said. "This airplane is really going to crank up the competition."

Zachary Shapiro, Airbus North American sales director, said the "game-changing" plane represents the company's future.

"For lack of a more sophisticated word, I'm giddy," Shapiro said. "This is the future flagship of fleets. To see a first flight happen, it's the beginning of a long era in aviation."