A350's novelty best seen from outside

Can the Airbus A350, the world's newest passenger jet, live up to the hype?

On Thursday, Airbus gave journalists the opportunity to decide whether Emirates Airline had made a mistake, when it cancelled an order for 70 of these next-generation aircraft, by inviting the media to fly on a prototype A350.

There was much excitement at this invitation, partly because it involved drawing lots beforehand to decide who could sit in the luxury of business class.

Several of the 150 journalists were self-confessed aerospace geeks who relished the opportunity to be the first members of the public to fly on the A350 during a one-hour trip over the Pyrenees (their excitement was further fuelled when a French air force fighter jet momentarily flew alongside).

The Financial Times was among those on board - alas travelling in economy class - and the truth is that although Airbus portrays the A350 as a game-changer for the aviation industry, its interior looks rather like any other jet.

The only notable difference on the flight was that, because this A350 is conducting flight tests, there were various pieces of strange-looking equipment for monitoring the aircraft's performance.

However, your correspondent did find the aircraft very quiet - Fernando Alonso, the Airbus executive in charge of flight tests, enjoyed telling the FT that the A350 is more peaceful than Boeing's Dreamliner, its main competitor.

The other striking thing from the passenger's point of view is the cabin's fatter shape, and the 18-inch width of its seats. These feel much more comfortable than the cramped seats on the Airbus A320 that your correspondent flew into Toulouse on.

The real innovation on the A350 is best seen from outside the aircraft.

It is mainly made from lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastic rather than the traditional aluminium, to reduce fuel consumption. Airbus claims that the A350's operating costs should be 25 per cent lower than the current version of Boeing's 777 aircraft.

Emirates, the largest operator of the popular 777, may not be so concerned. Last November, it agreed to buy 150 of Boeing's planned new 777X aircraft - an updated version of the 777 featuring more fuel-efficient engines.

But many journalists seemed to love the A350 - there was rapturous applause at both take-off and landing (your correspondent, keen to maintain his impartiality, did not participate).

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