On January 15, Airbus marked the tenth anniversary of the A350 aircraft family, which was initially delivered to Qatar Airways. The A350 is one of the most successful widebody aircraft families, with over 1,300 orders for the A350-900, A350-1000, and A350F.
Tenth anniversary.
On January 15, Airbus commemorated 10 years of successful operations for the A350 aircraft family, including the A350-900. Qatar Airways put their first A350-900 into service on January 15, 2015.
Airbus delivered the aircraft, registered as A7-ALA, on December 18, 2014, according to ch-aviation statistics.
The European jet manufacturer highlighted the aircraft’s ultra-long-range capabilities, including operating the world’s longest flight between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).
Singapore Airlines’ A350-900 ultra-long-range (ULR) aircraft can fly this route nonstop. Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool indicates that the trip will go 15,268 kilometers (8,244 nautical miles) both ways.
In comparison, the Singaporean carrier’s other record-breaking route, between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Singapore Changi, is slated to fly 15,263 km (8,241 NMI), falling only 5 km shy of the New York-JFK to Singapore itinerary.
Airbus announced that Qantas has chosen the A350-1000 over the Boeing 787-9 for its Project Sunrise flights between Sydney and London Heathrow in 2019.
According to the Great Circle Map, the distance between Sydney and London is 17,016 km (9,187 NMI), making Qantas the longest airline route when flights begin in 2026.
Rivaling the Boeing 777
Following the initial delivery in December 2014, Airbus delivered 548 A350-900 and an additional 94 A350-1000. Qatar Airways was the first customer to receive the A350-1000, registered as A7-ANA, on February 16, 2018, according to chaviation.
Airbus has received 1,344 gross orders as of December 31, 2024, following its announcement of the A350 aircraft family in 2006.
The company chose a clean-sheet design over building an A330 variant, which became the A330neo. This includes 989 gross orders for the A350-900, 300 for the A350-1000, and 55 for the A350F, the freighter version of the latter aircraft.
Boeing’s original 777 aircraft family, including the 777-200, 777-200ER, 777-200LR, 777-300, 777-300ER, and 777F, has 2,004 gross orders and 1,741 deliveries as of December 31, 2024. Gross orders may include purchases that were later canceled or made by out-of-business airlines.
The US-based plane maker has received 540 gross orders for the 777X, including the 777-8, 777-8F, and 777-9.Following cancellations and accounting changes, Boeing’s commercial orders and deliveries pages revealed 43, 55, and 383 unfilled orders, respectively.
Cirium’s Diio Mi data revealed that airlines planned 7,927 weekly flights with the A350-900 and A350-1000 in January, adding to the competitive atmosphere. Meanwhile, carriers should use the 777 aircraft family for 12,932 weekly trips in the same month.
The first commercial A350-900 is still in active service with Qatar Airways, which has already phased out seven A350-900 aircraft from its fleet in November 2017 (two, A7-AMC and A7-AMD), March 2020 (four, A7-AMA, A7-AMB, A7-AQA, and A7-AQB), and May 2020 (A7-AQC).
According to a March 2017 release, LATAM Airlines subleased four aircraft (A7-AMA, A7-AMB, A7-AMC, and A7-AMD) for six to twelve months, with the option to extend the leases.
Next Steps for the A350
Airbus has made minor improvements to the A350 family, but the next A350F will be a significant progression.In 2021, the European manufacturer introduced the A350-1000 cargo derivative.
According to Airbus, the A350F will bring next-generation efficiency to the large freighter sector, making it the only widebody cargo aircraft that will fulfill International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) emissions criteria.
Boeing will discontinue manufacture of the 767F in 2027, due to these restrictions as well as insufficient demand. The 777F, which will be replaced by the 777-8F, will eventually share the same destiny.
The business expects to deliver the first A350F in 2026, after receiving its first order in 2025. On January 9, Taiwan-based STARLUX Airlines bought five A350Fs, doubling its order book for the type.