First A350 XWB fuselage section begins sea journey to Hamburg

• Premium AEROTEC is delivering an assembled A350 XWB fuselage section 13/14 to Airbus for the first time. After being completed in Nordenham, the first section left the plant and was prepared for shipment by sea to Hamburg. Securely packaged in a special transport container, Premium AEROTEC's largest A350 XWB component rolled out of the assembly hall and on to the plant's dock.

Augsburg/Nordenham - The fuselage section takes about 12 hours to be shipped to Hamburg. On arrival, Airbus will equip it with system installations and prepare it for final assembly, which will take place in Toulouse, France.

The outer skin of the A350 XWB fuselage is made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is increasingly becoming the material of choice for aerostructures thanks to its low weight and excellent corrosion-free properties. Premium AEROTEC's upcoming deliveries within its A350 XWB work packages will be decisive landmarks in the shift from predominantly metal-based aircraft construction to CFRP technology. Beyond fuselage section 13/14 Premium AEROTEC is also responsible in particular for the rear-fuselage side shells (sections 16-18), the floor structure and the pressure bulkhead of this rear fuselage module in this new aircraft generation.

Source : European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (Paris: EAD.PA)