The first A350-900 for Ethiopian Airlines is taking shape on the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. Ethiopian Airlines will be the first African A350 XWB operator when it takes delivery of the aircraft next year.

Mating of the various aircraft fuselage sections has begun and the vertical stabiliser (tailfin) has been attached. Work is also underway on joining the wings and the horizontal tailplanes to the fuselage, after which its undercarriage will be fitted.

Airbus’ own A350 MSN2 test aircraft recently made the type’s debut at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport on 11 November where it demonstrated the A350’s superior hot-and- high take-off capability from the local runway which is more than 7,000 feet above sea level.