First A350 for Vietnam Airlines rolls out of assembly hall

The first A350 XWB for Vietnam Airlines, to be leased from AerCap, has just moved to station 30 at the Roger Béteille Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. This new milestone marks the completion of some of the major airframe assembly as well as the successful first electrical power-on.

In station 30, the aircraft will now undergo ground tests, while the cabin installation initiated in the previous station (station 40) will be continued. The final assembly of this aircraft begun in early October.

Scheduled for delivery in mid-2015, the aircraft will see Vietnam Airlines become the first Asian airline to fly the A350 XWB and the second operator in the world of the all-new, fuel-efficient widebody. First operator will be Qatar Airways.

Vietnam Airlines has a total of 10 A350 XWB on order, with an additional four to be received from third party lessors, including AerCap. The aircraft will be operated on the carrier’s premium long range services. AerCap (former ILFC) has a total of 20 A350 XWB on order.