Ultra Long Range A350 Completes First Flight

Airbus has flown the A350-900 ultra long range aircraft for the first time in preparation for certification and first delivery to Singapore Airlines.

The long range variant of the A350 family has a range of 9,700 nautical miles, or just under 18,000 km (11,100 miles), and will be able to fly for over 20 hours without a fuel stop.

Launch customer Singapore Airlines intends to use the aircraft on flights between its home base and the US, and will introduce it on the Singapore-New York route to make it the world’s longest commercial service.

Airbus said a number of changes have been introduced to the A350-900 to extend its range, including a modified fuel system which increases capacity by 24,000 litres without adding more fuel tanks.

The A350-900 ultra long range will enter service with Singapore Air in the second half of the year. The airline has seven of the type on order out of a total of 67 A350s.