The A350 plane of the European-based company Airbus took the center stage at the Paris Air Show on June 19, 2013 and won multi-billion dollar deals just before of the eagerly-anticipated fly-over. The first test flight of the aircraft was conducted last week, on Friday, June 14, 2013 and the plane has been in the news ever since and has stolen all the limelight before the beginning of the air show.
The air show is an important event where Airbus and US-based Boeing will be competing fiercely for the future plane orders. Right now, the European-based plane maker is ahead of Boeing in terms of orders. Airbus has finalized $53.2 billion deal in new plane orders and agreements, against ‘only’ $45.2 billion for Boeing.
On June 19, 2013, Air France-KLM confirmed that an order for 25 A350 planes has been placed. The manufacturer makes extensive use of lighter composite materials in order to reduce fuel costs. The recent deal is worth $7.2 billion at catalog prices.
Alexandre de Junaic, head of the airline group, said, “Despite the difficulties that Air France-KLM is facing, we are in significant good shape to be able to plan for the renewal of our long-haul fleet for the long term”. The agreement also comes with an option of additional 25 planes and the aircraft will start its service by 2017.
