A350-1000 ‘Early Long Flight’

On 12 May 2017, the A350-1000 completed its unique ‘Early Long Flight’ with 310 passengers on board, including 10 Airbus Flight Test crew members and 13 Virgin Atlantic cabin crew. Test aircraft MSN065 took off from and landed in Toulouse after a 12-hour flight. Although not part of the technical certification programme, the Early Long Flight allows Airbus to assess cabin environment and systems in-flight and optimise cabin procedures to ensure full maturity at Entry Into Service for its customers.