The 10 metre vertical tail plane of the first flyable A350 has been painted up at the manufacturer’s facility in Germany. This is the first component of the A350 to be painted in Airbus’s distinctive livery, using environmentally-friendly, chromate-free primer paint.
Mating of the fuselage components will be complete by the end of November, with the first flight of the A350 planned for mid 2013 prior to delivery of the first aircraft, to Qatar Airways, in the second half of 2014. Orders for the A350 stand at 558 from 34 customers.
