Spirit Creates A350XWB Longest Fuselage Panel

Airbus’s US A350XWB production partner Spirit AeroSystems has cured a carbonfibre panel that will make up the longest section of the new twinjet’s composite fuselage. Spirit is responsible for the production of the A350 centre-fuselage upper and forward-lower shells, which it produces at its plant in Kinston, North Carolina. These are then shipped to Airbus’s St Nazaire plant in France where assembly of the centre/forward fuselage and nose sections will be undertaken. The 64.5 ft. long, 828 sq. ft. centre-fuselage “crown” panel is now undergoing trimming, drilling and non-destructive inspection, prior to shipping across the Atlantic. Production of components for the first A350-900 is underway across the plants of Airbus and its partners. In September, the first crown panel for the forward fuselage was cured by EADS-owned Premium Aerotech at its plant in Nordenham, Germany. Final assembly of the first A350 is due to start in less than a year from now in Toulouse. The twinjet will make its first flight in mid-2012 and is due to enter service with Qatar Airways in the second half of 2013.