A350-1000 performed ‘High and Warm’ flight test campaign in Latin America

With the objective of conducting a ‘High and Warm’ flight test campaign to check aircraft and engine performance in high-altitude, warm and humid conditions, the A350-1000 MSN071 test aircraft flew first to Bolivia before completing its tour in Colombia and then returning to Toulouse, France, after 10 days of flight and ground tests.

The flight test campaign took place at three different airports:

· Cochabamba at an altitude of 8,300ft (2,350m)

· La Paz at 13,300ft (4,054m)

· Barranquilla at sea level, with temperatures ranging between 8°C and 32°C

The aircraft took-off and landed several times at each airport to collect data.

Early test results confirm the good performance and behavior of both the aircraft and its Trent XWB-97 engines. This is a major successful milestone in the aircraft certification flight test campaign.

The A350-1000 is ready for high altitude operations from Entry Into Service later this year.

All three A350-1000 flight test aircraft (MSN059, MSN071 and MSN065) are engaged in the ongoing Type Certification campaign, during which the aircraft is pushed to extreme limits well beyond what they should ever face during normal in-service operations.

With over 1,000 aircraft sold and a backlog of nearly 450, almost 650 Airbus aircraft are in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, representing a dominant market share of 53 percent of the region’s in-service fleet. Since 1990, Airbus has secured more than 60 percent of net orders in the region and in the past 10 years, Airbus has tripled its in-service fleet.