Watch the Airbus A350-1000 Fly for the Very First Time
We're very familiar with the Airbus A350-900, which is now flying with a handful of carriers, including Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Singapore and Vietnam. But the -900 is not the only variant that Airbus has planned — there's also a shorter A350-800 version, and the extended-length A350-1000, which took to the skies for the very first time earlier today.
Aviation journalist Jason Rabinowitz was on site in Toulouse today, and captured a video (above) of the first test flight.
The plane took off at 10:42am local time with two pilots, an engineer and three technicians to monitor the aircraft's performance during its first flight. The -1000 is 7 meters (23 feet) longer than the A350-900, with space for an extra 40 passengers. 11 airlines have committed to this variant, with 195 total orders to date.
Have you flown the Airbus A350?