Fresh From The Paint Shop To The Assembly Line

The vertical tail plane of the first flyable A350 XWB (MSN1) has just come out of the paint hall in Toulouse sporting the well-known Airbus blue and white livery. This is the first A350 XWB component to be painted in the Airbus livery.

The 10 meter (approximately 32.8 feet) tall, composite vertical tail plane is produced, as for all Airbus aircraft, at Airbus’ Stade site in Germany. The vertical tail plane is joined to the fuselage using an innovative, lighter connection that is also more aerodynamic.
 
The external livery of the A350 XWB, including the vertical tail plane, is painted with an environmentally friendly, chromate-free primer paint. In addition, following best practice from the car industry, Airbus will use a new base coat/clear coat system which requires less paint and less solvent. This eco-efficient painting process also means that less detergent will be needed when washing the aircraft. Inside, Airbus will use a water-based paint wherever possible, one of the most environmentally friendly types of paint available.

Over 70 per cent of the A350 XWB’s airframe is being made from advanced materials, combining 53 per cent of composite structures with titanium and advanced aluminum alloys. The aircraft’s innovative all-new Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) fuselage results in lower fuel consumption, as well as easier maintenance.

FMI: www.airbus.com