Simviation Forums

I hate to admit it but I was quite off the 'bubble' with this...

After hearing about airbus' current worries with the A380, delays, financial short-sightedness etc etc, I read to my astonishment that they are facing delays also on their A350 project... Their A3-what!? Upon further research I has discovered lots of information about the A350, and a very nice plane it seems too, does anyone know why airbus have jumped in with the A350-800 and A350-900 as the entry models? Surely you'd expect more conventional -100 & -200 suffixes to the entry models. Are airbus planning on downsizing future models!?

Those crazy French!

JB

It's not that  crazy if you knew about the A350 origin.
Basically, the A350 was a new improved version of the A330 (more composites in the fuselage, bleedless engines etc)

So just to highlight that it is a new "generation" aircraft, they dubbed it the A350-800/900....which happen to be the designations for the A380 aswell if I'm not mistaken.

But I do believe the original intent of the project is dead, they will no longer improve the A330, but instead try to build an entirely new aircraft, which I think is the A370.

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, not really up to date about this  :-[

your pretty much correct nexus:)
Read the Boeing/airbus thread, i've put some stuff in there covering the situation, which is then basically copied and posted again by others

A350-800, A350-900?

meh, not shannanigans, just marketing.