Aircraft

Airbus is showing off a new cutaway 1:120 scale model of its A350 XWB at the Aircraft Interiors show in Hamburg.

The cutaway model highlights potential interior designs and features a first, business, premium economy and economy cabins. After its debut at the show, the model will then be presented to customers during a programme progress review meeting in the coming days.

“This is a totally new A350 cutaway model,” explains Airbus aircraft interiors marketing manager, customer affairs, Christophe Cossart. The airframer signed off the detailed definition freeze for the A350-900 in December.

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The review will include the first showing of its finalised rear-galley design. Airbus had initially hoped to firm the design at the definition-freeze stage, but has been continuing to work on it after preparing a “very innovative” initial design.

“[Customers] preferred a more traditional galley arrangement, so we have changed a little bit the rear galley arrangement,” says Airbus senior marketing analyst, customer affairs, Florian Giusti, although he will not be drawn on the final configuration.

Delivery of the 314-seat A350-900 to launch customer Qatar Airways will start in mid-2013. The smaller 270-seat -800 will follow in 2014 and the 350-seat -1000 in 2015.

By mid-year Airbus hopes to have selected supplier cabin interior options for seats and the in-flight entertainment. “We still have some months to go, but we have a lot of suppliers on board for the aircraft already. It will be an evolving process,” says Cossart.

Cossart says that its approach to IFE for the type requires a “robust backbone that can live with the life of the aircraft”, and the airframer will look for a scaleable approach to the front-end software.

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In this video below Airbus' aircraft interiors marketing manager Christophe Cossart explains the possible interior sections of the A350 XWB

See more pictures of the Airbus A350 XWB on AirSpace