Almost touching the sky

After a long development process, the A350 XWB is now a reality. In a familiar presentation ceremony and surrounded by employees, the first A350 XWB emerged from its hangar in Toulouse yesterday after being painted in its Airbus livery in just seven days. The company is working very hard for the latest aircraft to take off at next month's Paris Air Show, possibly next 15th June. The A350 XWB will be the first Airbus aircraft with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer and it will be able to carry beetween 250 to 350 passengers. Source

Picture taken from Airbus' Facebook Page

The aerospace industry remains a major segment of the local economy. The major aerospace companies are located in Bristol such as BAE Systems, Airbus and Rolls-Royce, all based at Filton. In addition, the aerospace engineering is a prominent research area at Bristol university and the nearby Univeristy of the West of England (UWE). 

Airbus UK produces wings for the Airbus aircraft family. When Airbus was incorporated as a joint stock company in 2001, BAE transferred its UK Airbus facilities in return for a 20% share of the new company. These facilities became Airbus UK. Airbus UK has two main sites responsible for the design and manufacture of the high-technology wings for all Airbus models as well as overall design and supply of the fuel system: Filton, where the engineering and design activity takes place along with some manufacturing, and Broughton in Flintshire (near Chester), where other major wing component manufacturing and all wing assembly takes place. Airbus Filton employs more than 4,500 workers in a variety of roles and there are other 6000 employees in Broughton.