Airbus Gains A350-900 Jet Safety Approval

Robert Wall

Airbus Group NV (EADSY) today received approval from safety authorities for its new A350 jetliner to enter commercial service.

The European Aviation Safety Agency granted the so-called type certificate to Airbus for the A350-900 after 15 months of flight testing. "We dealt with a very mature aircraft," Patrick Ky, EASA Executive Director said in a statement.

The approval is a major milestone for Airbus that is spending about 10 billion euros ($12.69 billion) to develop the new family of long-range jets as it battles Boeing Co. (BA) for dominance in the intercontinental flying market. The twin-engine jetliner competes for orders with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

Qatar Airways will be the first operator of the plane. The jet is designed to carry around 315 passengers over a distance of 7,750 nautical miles (14,500 km).

Airbus also plans a second, larger model, the A350-1000, with delivery due from 2017.

Airbus has booked 750 combined orders for the A350, including a few for the now-scrapped A350-800, the smallest model. Airbus in July said it would upgrade its A330 with new engines in favor of the A350-800.

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RR.LN) makes the A350 jet's engines.

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