First Airbus A321 Aircraft Produced in the U.S. For American Airlines Takes Flight. A350 XWB full-flight simulator installed at Airbus Training Center in Miami

The first Airbus A321 aircraft produced for American Airlines in the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility has flown for the first time.
21 April 2016 Feature story


On April 19, the A321 took off from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, Alabama, at 1:32 p.m. CDT, performed its test sequences, and landed safely at approximately 5:10 p.m. CDT.

The aircraft was flown by Test Pilots Mark McCullins and Bruce Macdonald. They were accompanied on the flight by Flight Test Engineer Nick Picconi, and Ground Test Engineer/Cabin Specialists Alexander Gentzsch and Mike Johns.

The flight lasted approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes during which tests were performed on systems, engines and structure performance.

Following the flight, the aircraft will go through a few more weeks in final production before being delivered to American Airlines.


Americas’ first A350 XWB simulator in the United States qualified to ‘Level-D’ by FAA, EASA
19 April 2016 Press Release


Airbus Training Center (ATC) in Miami – part of the growing worldwide network of Training by Airbus* facilities – has installed its first A350 XWB full-flight simulator. The A350 XWB simulator has received Level-D** qualification from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

This is the first A350 XWB full-flight simulator in the Americas and complements the Miami Training Center’s existing two A330/A340 and four A320 full-flight simulators. American Airlines and TAM are the first customers to train on the new equipment. The new simulator will also train flight crews from Azul, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and other A350 XWB customers from around the world.

“With the A350 XWB entering into service in the Americas, we anticipate an increase in demand for widebody full-flight simulator training, especially given the program’s success in the Americas,” said Joe Houghton, Airbus Vice President of Training & Flight Operations Support. “Our new A350 XWB simulator now broadens our service offering, allowing Airbus to continue to deliver the most comprehensive flight training services in the industry.”

In January, LATAM Airlines Group, made up of LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines, started operating the first of its 27 A350 XWB aircraft on order, becoming the first operator in the Americas to fly the highly efficient widebody airliner. Additionally, Synergy Aerospace, Avianca’s main shareholder and owner of Avianca Brasil, has ordered 10 A350 XWB aircraft and Azul Linhas Aereas has announced its intention to fly new international routes with a fleet of five A350-900s.

In the U.S., there are currently firm orders for 82 A350 XWB aircraft: American Airlines has 22 A350-900s on order; Delta Air Lines has ordered 25 A350-900s; and United Airlines has 35 A350-1000s on order.

The Miami ATC serves as a Center of Excellence for the Americas. Built in 1999, the facility complements other “Training by Airbus” facilities in Toulouse, Beijing, Hamburg, Bangalore, and the recently inaugurated flight-training center in Singapore. The custom-designed, 110,000-square-foot complex in Miami has a total of seven full-flight simulators, as well as cabin door and slide trainers, state-of-the-art computer-based training classrooms and seven flight training devices simulating A320, A330, A340 and now A350 XWB aircraft. Approximately 2,200 trainees from Airbus operators in the U.S., Canada and Latin America attend training annually at the Miami ATC.

Airbus, a division of Airbus Group, is the global leading commercial aircraft manufacturer with the most modern, comprehensive and efficient family of airliners, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus has sold over 16,300 aircraft to around 400 customers and, in addition, provides the highest standard of customer support and training through an expanding international network. Airbus employs some 55,000 people and in 2015 generated revenues of 45.9 billion Euros/$51.4 billion (U.S.).

Notes for editors:

*Training by Airbus: is available via a global network of locations and support staff around the world. Airbus Training Centres (ATCs) provide courses certified by the world’s major international Airworthiness Authorities.

**Level-D flight simulator qualification: There are four levels of full-flight simulator, Levels -A to -D. ‘Level-D’ is the highest standard which facilitates ‘zero-flight-time’ training of civil pilots when converting from one airliner type to another.