A350-900 - MSN29 (CX #1) B-LRA

Once on the final assembly line at the Airbus factory, the fuselage, wing and tail sections will be joined together, and by July the aircraft should be ready for its first electrical power-up.

System checks will follow together with the fitment of the aircraft’s two Rolls-Royce XWB engines and the cabin interior.

Aircraft painting is planned for November and the first test flight scheduled for December. “The customer delivery phase will commence in February 2016 when the Cathay aircraft acceptance team will travel to Toulouse to perform a series of formal acceptance procedures, including test-flying the aircraft,” says Engineering’s Bob Taylor, Head of A350 Project.