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Airbus delays delivery of its first A350-900 to Qatar

The Airbus A350-900 makes extensive use of light composite materials that reduce fuel consumption and costs.

Airbus has delayed delivery of its first next-generation long-haul, the A350-900, to Qatar Airways, a spokeswoman for the Qatari company said in Paris on Wednesday.

“The delivery ceremony has been postponed indefinitely,” she told AFP, without elaborating.

An Airbus spokesman said, for his part: “We are working very closely with Qatar Airways to meet our common goal to deliver the first A350 XWB very soon.”

The two sides said last week that delivery of the A350-900 was set for Saturday.

Designed to help the European manufacturer catch up with its American rival Boeing in the market for long-haul, fuel-efficient planes, the A350-900 makes extensive use of light composite materials that reduce fuel consumption and costs.

Airbus invested 10-12 billion euros in the strategy to position the A350 between Boeing’s popular 777 and its 787 Dreamliner, hoping to eat away at both planes’ markets.

The plane, with Trent XWB Rolls-Royce engines, can carry 315 passengers over a distance of 14,500 kilometres (9,000 miles), and to date, 750 A350 aircraft have been ordered by 39 customers worldwide.

Qatar Airways plans to use the new aircraft for its daily Doha-Frankfurt flight from January 15.