A350 Troubles the latest news......

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A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby B77W-QOTS » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:48 am

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:19 pm

Airbus outlines key features of A350 flight deck, takes innovative electronic flight bag approach

Article includes a video showing features; among other things it would allow flight crews to dock their own computers and operate them through the cockpit display screens. I'm sure they've thought about introducing a virus, right?

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... t-bag.html

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby AndyToop » Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:11 pm

I'm sure they've thought about introducing a virus, right?
Well yes and no - if my understanding is correct.
Yes they thought about it and no its not a potential issue. The reason being that they will not be supplying anything other than the monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Basically its is a laptop docking station built into the cockpit - it is not integrated with the on board computers.

The gist I got from that video was
First we provided a table the pilot could put a laptop on. This meant the airline could put all of the charts/manuals onto the laptop - easy to make sure you distribute the latest info and easy to automate updating (read into this either a: reducing administrative burden on the pilot, or b: further taking the pilot out of the equation depending on your AB preference)
With the 380 we realized that having the laptop open in front of the pilot was not to good because he might have to look over the screen to see some instruments etc. So we integrated a pc into the cockpit and let the airlines load there software onto it.
Now on the 350 we realized this was a step too far, because now we will need to keep certifying new computers and OS as technology advances, so we've replaced the integrated pc with a docking station. The airlines are responsible for the computer hardware - we'll just provide a built in display and keyboard.

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Sickbag » Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:50 pm

Will it be compatible with Wii?
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Hazmat » Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:35 pm

Will it be compatible with Wii?
You're really trailing far behind I see, it will not only be compatible with Wii but will actually be fully controlled by the new Wii controller stick, the pilots no longer will have to sit in the front, they can relax in first while doing their job.
Questions remain however what will happen if the flightcrew decide to play a little game of Wii ping-pong with their controllers to kill some time (and probably everybody else on board).








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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:43 pm

Why does the A350 need so much computing hardware in the cockpit? All it needs is the up/down button.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Hazmat » Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:06 pm

Why does the A350 need so much computing hardware in the cockpit? All it needs is the up/down button.
What a stupid question really, why would anybody need so many computers, screens, buttons and levers?
Because it looks really cool, that's why!!!

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:19 pm

Oh no.
US Airways defers Airbus orders, maybe freeing slots for United

US Airways will defer 54 Airbus aircraft deliveries scheduled between 2010 and 2012 until at least 2013 and push back its A350 XWB launch from 2015 to 2017 to boost liquidity, the company announced Tuesday.

The changes and deferrals of debt repayments will improve projected liquidity by about $150 million by the end of this year and about $450 million by the end of 2010, US Airways said. The order deferrals also could help Airbus land a big order from United Airlines.

"This is our third major strategic move in the past 100 days, following announcements of our innovative slot transaction with Delta Air Lines and the realignment of our network to focus on our most profitable flying," said US Airways Chairman and Chief Executive Doug Parker said in a statement. "These moves are part of our continuing efforts to improve our balance sheet and return the company to profitability. Our employees are continuing to run a great airline and doing a terrific job taking care of our customers and, with these strategic initiatives behind us, we believe US Airways is well positioned to take full advantage of the recovering economy."

US Airways Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr said the order deferrals "also have eliminated the need to fund a fleet replacement program in capital markets that continue to be uncertain and expensive."

The carrier still will take delivery of two A320 and two A330 aircraft next year and 24 more A320 family aircraft in 2011 and 2012, Kerr noted. "We have financing commitments for all 28 aircraft and believe this is a more manageable delivery rate given the current economic environment."

The deferrals actually could help Airbus win a coveted order from United Airlines, analyst Scott Hamilton wrote Tuesday. The Chicago Tribune reported last week that United was close to choosing between the A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner for an upcoming wide-body order. (More on that here.)

"The A350 deferral by US Airways opens up early delivery positions in 2015 for United," Hamilton noted.

"The lack of early delivery slots has been on on-going problem for both Airbus and Boeing, with the large backlogs for the A350 and 787 programs," he added. "The now-open 2015 slots for the A350 could be a tipping point in the campaign unless Boeing can do better."
http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/186165.asp
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:25 pm

First the news:
"FRANKFURT, April 18 (Reuters) - The chief executive of European planemaker Airbus (EAD.PA) said in an interview due to be published on April 19, that he could not exclude the possibility of deliveries of the A350 jetliner being delayed."

Talking to German weekly magazine Focus, Chief Executive Thomas Enders said that Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS, was stepping up all possible efforts to keep to the schedule, but "It is a hellish ride," he was quoted as saying.

The schedule envisages the first flight of the A350 XWB in 2012 and start of deliveries in 2013. It was drawn up in 2006 and had been ambitious at that time, Enders said.


Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6 ... 350_delays
Then the analysis:
Comments reveal difficulties on the program, a delay or at worst, a series of delays to the A350XWB depends on how well these challenges are managed.
* * *
For the A350XWB, a combination of engineering and financial resource drainage in favour of the loss-making A380 and A400M has meant that before final assembly as even started, the margins on the program tuned for a mid-2013 service entry appear to have been consumed.

Source: http://www.glgroup.com/News/Airbus-Prep ... 47860.html

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Fri May 27, 2011 8:15 pm

Airbus A350 reportedly set for another delay
Blog: Seattle Post-Intelligencer 05/26/2011
Author: Aubrey Cohen

Airbus will have to delay its A350 XWB aircraft again because of the need for technical improvements, according to a new report.

Airbus ‘has technical improvements to make (on the A350) and it will certainly be delayed,’ Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Officer John Slosar said Thursday, according to Agence France Presse.

Airbus already has pushed back first delivery from mid 2013 to late that year. Cathay expects the first of its 30 A350s in late 2015, according to Slosar.

The A350 competes against Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, which is set for first delivery in August or September, three years behind schedule.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby 666 » Tue May 31, 2011 1:36 am

Does anyone really expect that new planes start flying on the scheduled date?

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby PurduePilot » Tue May 31, 2011 3:35 am

I wonder if they need to borrow my solid gold plunger to help get the money down the commode.

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:20 pm

Airbus Says Some A350 Suppliers May Struggle on Timing
By Laurence Frost and Andrea Rothman - Jun 1, 2011 4:29 AM PT

Airbus SAS said some suppliers to its A350 jet are encountering quality issues as they prepare for full production of composite parts for the wide-body aircraft, increasing pressure to keep the delivery schedule.

“This is the moment of truth, where everything that’s been designed has to be produced,” Airbus Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier told the French Aerospace Journalists’ Association in Paris today. The program “requires a production quality that some suppliers weren’t used to.”

Airbus, which has already pushed back the plane’s first delivery by about six months to late 2013, is keeping the revised schedule, Bregier said. The long-range A350 is a twin- engine plane that follows rival Boeing Co. (BA)’s lead in making increased use of composites to reduce weight and save fuel.

While production of larger composite panels is well prepared, manufacturers are struggling with some smaller, specialized parts such as wiring clips and stiffeners, Bregier said. Airbus is seeking to avoid further delays and the cost overruns that dogged its A380 superjumbo and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Lessons

“The lesson we’ve learned from the A380 is that you shouldn’t begin assembly too early,” Bregier said. “It’s more important to get everything right, so we’re not taking any shortcuts.”

The size of the A350, which will seat 300 to 350 passengers, puts it in competition with Boeing’s 777 model already in service and the Dreamliner, which starts at 270 seats and is scheduled to enter service later in September -- three- and-a-half years later than originally promised.

Airbus plans to discuss progress on the A350 at the Paris Air Show, which beings June 20. Bregier said today that the first delivery to Qatar Airways Ltd. is still on schedule.

Airbus had 574 orders for the A350 as of the end of April. That included all three variants, the A350-800, the A350-900 and the A350-1000. The mid-sized A350-900 is first of the three types scheduled for service.

The planemaker is scheduled to start assembling the first A350 by the end of the year, at a plant in Toulouse that has been built for the purpose.

The A380, the most recent civilian jet created by Airbus, is 25 percent made from composites. Bregier said Airbus expects to deliver about 25 A380s this year, and the rate will increase in 2012, though no figure has yet been decided. Airbus is scheduled to start assembling the first A350 by the end of the year in Toulouse.

Airbus expects to have more than 500 orders in its books for the A320neo single-aisle jet by the end of the Paris Air Show, which begins June 20, Bregier said. The planemaker already has won 332 orders and commitments for the plane, with many of the commitments to be firmed up at the show.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:46 pm

Who would have thought?

Airbus Delays A350 Plane, Books $270M Charge

Airbus SAS pushed back planned entry into service of its A350 aircraft by as much as six months as some parts arrive late, marking a setback in the planemaker’s effort to challenge Boeing Co. (BA)’s dominance in wide-body jets.

Assembly of the aircraft will start in the first quarter of next year, rather than late in 2011, Airbus parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. said today, as it reported earnings that beat estimates. First delivery is set for the first half of 2014 instead of the end of 2013. The delays will lead to a charge of 200 million euros ($271 million), EADS said.

The delay is the second push-back on the A350, as the company moves along more cautiously to avoid the mistakes of its A380 double-decker program that was years behind schedule. Airbus is struggling to manage hundreds of suppliers and new composite technologies that also stymied Boeing’s development of its 787 Dreamliner, which entered commercial service last month, more than three years later than planned.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-1 ... harge.html

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Sickbag » Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:36 pm

Structural assembly completed within eighteen months.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:56 pm

Airbus: No Intention To Cancel A350-800
Aviation Week.com 11/14/2011
Author: Jens Flottau

Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers John Leahy concedes that the Emirates order for 50 Boeing 777-300ERs could be linked to the delay of the Airbus A350-1000. “There was no case for a 777 today if I had an A350,” he said at the Dubai air show. “But if you need lift now, you are going to buy a 777. It is what it is.”

The 50 777-300ERs are to be delivered from 2015, but the A350-1000 is now only expected to arrive in 2017, almost two years later than originally planned. Emirates has 20 A350-1000s on order, along with 50 A350-900s. It has recently indicated it might move away from the -1000 and go for more -900s instead.

Leahy insisted that Airbus will keep the A350-800. “We have absolutely no intention to drop the A350-800,” he said. The type’s entry-into-service date has moved to 2016 with several customers having converted orders to larger versions. “As we are ramping up production, it is more profitable for us to shift to the 900, but we will keep the -800.”

Airbus is watching possible consequences of the euro zone debt crisis, but believes that it does not have much effect on aircraft financing. “Financing usually does get arranged one way or the other, if the airline really needs an aircraft,” Leahy stated.

He confirmed that “we are in discussions with Mr. al-Baker (Qatar Airways’ CEO) and his people” about a possible order. The airline was expected to announce an order for five more A380s and A320NEOs on Monday, but Qatar Airways cancelled a press conference at the last moment.
Look for an announcement in six months that Airbus is canceling the A350-800.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Sickbag » Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:25 pm

Qatar Airways Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker ridiculed Airbus SAS after walking away from aircraft purchases at the Dubai Air show, saying the manufacturer is “still learning how to build airplanes.”

Al Baker said he had planned to make a “very large” announcement today with Airbus, the industry leader in the civil aviation industry. Minutes earlier, Airbus was forced to abort a press conference, saying the deal was “too hot” to be signed on time. Al Baker declined to give a reason for the hold-up, saying only price isn’t necessarily the sticking point.

“We have reached an impasse with them,” Al Baker told the conference when asked why the Airbus deal fell through. “We thought we would conclude an agreement. Airbus is still learning how to make airplanes.”
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Sickbag » Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:28 pm

Qatar Airways Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker reconciled with Airbus SAS and signed an order valued at $6.4 billion, hours after publicly lambasting the European manufacturer for its inability to build aircraft.

The firm order is for 50 A320neo jets, with an option for 30 more, and as many as eight additional A380 superjumbos, Al Baker said at the Dubai Air show today. Signing the deal had fallen through hours earlier after talks stalled.

“Every day, sometimes you get stuck somewhere in the middle, especially when the lawyers throw the spanner into the wheel,” Al Baker told a press conference in Dubai. “The impasse was on an issue of the aircraft, and this is why I mentioned that Airbus is forgetting how to make airplanes.”
Obviously the bribe transferred successfully into the Swiss bank account.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:17 pm

First A350 XWB parts arrive at final assembly line in Toulouse
Airbus has delivered the first major airframe section to the A350 XWB Final Assembly Line in Toulouse, France on the 23rd of December 2011. The 21-metre-long front fuselage section, delivered from Airbus in Saint-Nazaire, is destined to become part of the A350 XWB static test airframe.

(Website includes photo of front fuselage section.)

http://www.jeccomposites.com/news/compo ... e-toulouse

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:29 pm

Etihad becomes first to cancel A350-1000s
By: David Kaminski-Morrow London
10:52 17 Jan 2012

Etihad Airways has cancelled six Airbus A350-1000s, the first carrier to have cut its backlog for the type since the aircraft was redesigned last year.

Airbus had a backlog of 75 A350-1000s but its latest order and delivery figures show Etihad's backlog of 25 has been cut to 19.

While Etihad has not commented on the A350-1000 redesign, a source close to the carrier said it was not content with the changes made to the twinjet, echoing the feelings expressed by Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Airbus chief Tom Enders indicated there might be "short-term" issues regarding discussions with existing customers for the A350-1000.

The A350 programme secured orders for only 10 aircraft in 2011, while cancellation of 41 left the type in negative net figures for the year.

Cancellation of a single A350-800 also helped to reduce the A350 order backlog to 555 aircraft, comprising 118 -800s, 368 -900s and 19 -1000s.

Enders reiterated the airframer's caution over A350 development, admitting that postponement of its entry to the final assembly line had been decided after the programme "ran into some serious problems" with key elements.

He said the A350's final assembly would begin in March 2012. Without caution, and assurance of maturity, he said, "you're setting yourself up for disaster".

Chief operating officer for customers John Leahy said he was in discussions with three major airlines for the A350-1000, and added that the main problem was "getting them early delivery positions".
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... 0s-366997/
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Sickbag » Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:08 pm

Wibble.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:07 pm

Airbus A350 Development Hitting Snags


Late last year, Airbus shifted its A350 schedule by six months. But increasingly, suppliers are expressing concerns that a more serious delay could be just around the corner.

Airbus will be forced to postpone its entry-into-service date by at least another year, due to the complex trickle-down effect of late design changes that is affecting various parts of the aircraft, but which is likely felt most painfully in the area of cabin installation, according to various industry sources. Costs are going up and supplier relations are being strained exponentially.

“The systems side is a nightmare,” says one CEO of a major Airbus supplier. “The interiors will be late by at least one year,” he believes. That does not mean that first flight is necessarily affected that much, because the initial flight tests will not need a functional cabin anyway. The full effect would not be felt until later in the flight-test campaign, when cabin testing is included.
* * * *
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... gs&prev=10

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:50 pm

Airbus starts assembling first A350 XWB Test Airframe

(Article with Photos)
Excerpt:

Airbus has started final assembly of its composite answer to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the European plane maker announced Thursday.

The A350 XWB uses composite panels, rather than the barrel design of the 787. It is scheduled to enter service in 2014, pushed back from an original plan of mid 2013.

Final assembly starts with joining the 65-foot-long center fuselage with the 69-foot front fuselage at Airbus' final assembly line in Toulouse, France. The center fuselage arived from Airbus' St Nazaire, France, facility on Wednesday. The front fuselage arrived from St Nazaire on Dec. 23.

The aft fuselage is scheduled for delivery from Hamburg, Germany, in the coming weeks, followed by the wings, from Airbus' wing assembly site in Broughton, U.K.

Airbus plans to use the first airframe for static testing, which subjects the airplane to stresses beyond the most-extreme it's expected to encounter in service. The company expects to start assembling of the first flying A350 this summer



http://www.seattlepi.com/business/boein ... to-2782253

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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby Verbal » Tue May 08, 2012 5:16 pm

Airbus Loses Another A350-1000 Order as 777 Successor Looms
By Andrea Rothman and Tamara Walid - May 7, 2012 9:35 AM PT

Airbus SAS lost more orders for its A350-1000 from Etihad after the Abu Dhabi state-owned airline canceled seven jets, dealing a blow to a model that the planemaker has positioned against Boeing Co (BA)’s 777-300ER.

Airbus disclosed the dropped deal today in its monthly tally of orders and deliveries. The cut follows the cancellation of six A350-1000s by Etihad in December, paring the carrier’s order to 12 A350s, less than half the number it originally agreed to take on. The list price of the A350-1000 is $320.6 million, valuing the lost order at $2.2 billion.

Airbus initially promised the A350-1000, the biggest variant of its A350 family, for 2014 before delaying it last year, saying it needed three more years to improve performance. Qatar Airways and Emirates, the largest A350 customers, have said they are still not content with the design, increasing pressure on Airbus as Boeing plots a successor to the 777-300ER.

“The recent delay to the A350 XWB program provided an appropriate opportunity for Etihad to revisit its projected fleet mix in the latter part of the decade,” Etihad said in a statement sent by e-mail. The company said it has “has a great deal of confidence” in the program.

Airbus parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. rose 0.6 percent to 29.71 euros at the close in Paris. That extended the shares’ year-to-date gain to 23 percent.

The A350-1000 variant now has 62 orders and hasn’t won a new customer since 2008. The mid-sized A350-900 has 368 orders, and the smallest type, the A350-800, has 118 orders. The smaller jets will compete with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, which entered service in late 2011 after more than three years of delays.

“This suggests that despite the relaunch, the plane isn’t what the market wants,” said Nick Cunningham, managing director of London-based Agency Partners and a 25-year veteran of aerospace analysis. “It’s definitely a source of concern.”

Boeing has said it will take its ideas about a new wide- body, often dubbed the 777-7X and 7779X, to its board by the end of this year. The 777 is Boeing’s most profitable commercial jet, and Emirates, the largest customer for the 777, has urged the manufacturer to decide soon on a successor.

Emirates has 70 A350s on order, 20 of which are for the A350-1000. President Tim Clark said last month that he wasn’t happy with the re-design of that model and hadn’t yet decided whether he’d keep the orders, swap them for A350-900s, or do something else. Airbus may need to again review delivery of the model given that its redesign has failed to ignite orders.

“We kind of put them on notice that frankly we were quite happy with the way it was,” Clark said in an April 26 interview.
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Re: A350 Troubles the latest news......

Postby J » Fri May 25, 2012 1:29 pm

Why [Australian] business travellers will love the Airbus A350 XWB
Excerpts:
And the reasons you'll love it? Here are three of them.
'Just right' size: bigger than an A330, smaller than a 777
You won't be surprised that a plane whose initials standing for "Extra Wide Body" is wide. Really wide.
In pure cabin width, the A350 is broader than the A330 that you'll have travelled on with Qantas or Virgin Australia, and eighteen inches wider than the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, its closest competitor.

New construction methods provide a new cabin 'feel'
Since the A350 is made out of an increased proportion of modern composite materials rather than metal, the cabin pressure can be lower than previous generations, down to 6000 feet from the previous 8000 feet.
That means, like the 787, that the effects of altitude on your body are less, making travelling less tiring and jetlag less disruptive to your system.

Fourth-generation inflight entertainment
Without getting too technical, Airbus is promising an even more all-singing, all-dancing entertainment system than you'd find today.
Panasonic's eX3 and Thales' TopSeries AVANT are currently the two options available for A350s, which provide more entertainment than you'll know what to do with.
http://www.ausbt.com.au/why-business-tr ... s-a350-xwb


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