ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2022 - 36

APPRAISAL
Airbus A350-900
Olga Razzhivina
ISTAT Certified Senior Appraiser
Director
Oriel
olga@oriel.aero
oriel.aero
Photo courtesy of Henry Chow.
T
he Airbus A350900
is the smaller
variant in the
A350 family of
widebody long-haul
aircraft. Originally
launched in 2004,
its development envisaged an improved
A330 fuselage. However, comments
from customers, especially lessors,
persuaded Airbus to redesign and
relaunch the A350 with a wider crosssection.
The new design was dubbed
" extra wide body, " or " XWB. "
The A350 is the first aircraft for
Airbus built primarily with the carbonfiber
fuselage and wings. Unlike
the 787, the fuselage sections are
not produced as barrels but as four
segmented sections. Power is provided
by two sole-source Rolls-Royce Trent
XWB engines.
The A350-900 cabin is designed
for a typical layout of 300-350 seats
with a 440-passenger exit limit. The
range is 7,750nm for a standard version
and 8,700nm for the ultra-long range
(ULR), launched in October 2015 with
an order from Singapore Airlines. There
have been no other orders for the
ULR version, and the Qantas " Project
Sunrise " - envisaging nonstop
travel to London and New York from
Melbourne and Sydney - will be based
on the larger A350-1000.
The A350-900 took its first
flight on 14 June 2013 and entered
36 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
A350-900 BY REGION
North
America: 22
Middle East:
39
Europe: 74
Africa: 25
Asia Pacific:
211
Source: CAPA Fleets Database
service on 15 January 2015 with
Qatar Airways. Unlike the 787, the
A350 had a relatively problem-free
entry into service. The well-publicized
issue of exterior paint degradation
recently raised by Qatar Airways
and experienced by some other
airlines does not appear to affect the
aircraft's airworthiness.
As of 15 December 2021, some 390
passenger aircraft had been delivered
to over 30 airlines, of which 328
were currently in service and 62 were
stored, according to the CAPA Fleets
database. Another 20 aircraft were
awaiting delivery to some 10 airlines.
The backlog stood at 334 aircraft, of
which only eight with ALC had yet to be
placed with an airline.
The installed A350-900 fleet has
a high concentration in Asia/Pacific
with a nearly 60% global share. Two
of the top-five operators in the region
are Singapore Airlines with 56 aircraft
and Cathay Pacific with 28 aircraft.
Europe accounts for approximately
one-fifth of the in-service fleet, with
Lufthansa being the largest operator
with 18 aircraft. The Middle East holds
just above 10% of the fleet, with the
type's launch customer Qatar Airways
operating 34 aircraft, of which 16 were
grounded. African and North American
airlines account for 6% and 7% of the
total fleet, respectively. South American
carriers have no A350s, as LATAM
rejected its aircraft during its Chapter
11 reorganization.
http://www.oriel.aero
ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2022

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