Airbus brings its A350 to Chile and Brazil

 

Santiago / São Paulo – The Airbus A350, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in the world, that LATAM Airlines Group will receive in late 2015, first visited South America, making stops at airports in Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as part of its certification process to begin commercial operations with passengers.

 

TAM Airlines, a LATAM Airlines Group member, will be the first airline in the Americas and the fourth in the world to receive and operate the Airbus A350-900 XWB. The company has ordered 27 aircraft of this model, which are expected to be delivered between the end of 2015 and 2019. 

 

“This is an important milestone for the company,” says Enrique Cueto, CEO of the LATAM Airlines Group. “The acquisition of these aircraft underlines the our ongoing commitment to maintaining one of the most young and modern fleets in the world, with more efficient aircraft, lower environmental impact, and the best available technology in aviation, allowing us to deliver more and more comfort our passengers”.

 

The arrival of A350 will mark the entry of a new generation of long-haul aircraft for TAM, built with composite materials, which are lighter, more efficient and more economical. Operating costs (including fuel expenses) and greenhouse gas emissions of this new aircraft are up to 25% lower than with other aircraft of similar size.

 

Currently, the Airbus A350 model is undergoing the final phase of its certification and one of the five aircraft under development is programmed to stop by at the airports of Santiago in Chile and São Paulo in Brazil. These cities were stopovers of the series of test flights that started in Toulouse, France, and passed through Johannesburg in South Africa, Sydney in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand. From São Paulo, the aircraft is going to return to the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse. At the end of the tour, the aircraft will have visited 14 airports around the world.

 

The aircraft, MSN 005, is one of five A350 XWB prototypes used to perform comprehensive flight test and development trials. The aircraft flew to Santiago as part of its “Route Proving” mission required for Type Certification, which is expected in September this year. This exercise will include the aircraft flying a representative airline schedule, demonstrating its maturity for airline operations. The aircraft will be operated by Airbus flight crews.