Air India’s first Airbus A350-900 has taken off on its maiden voyage, with plane-spotters at Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS) snapping pictures of the white-liveried aircraft.
The aircraft, with its current test registration of F-WZFZ, departed out of TLS at 10:14 AM local time (UTC +2), and has been conducting tests at the time of writing. Its peak altitude was 43,000 feet (13,106.4 meters), which it reached just to the south of its departure point.
However, the aircraft, whose Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) is 554, per ch-aviation.com data, was not painted in Air India’s livery. Instead, it sported a full-white paint job.
Planespotters.net data shows that the aircraft originally destined for Aeroflot, but the Russian airline was unable to take delivery of it because of the sanctions imposed on Russia and its aerospace sector due to the unlawful invasion of Ukraine.
When Air India firmed up its massive 250 aircraft-strong order from Airbus during the Paris Air Show in June 2023, the manufacturer said that the first deliveries of the A350-900 should commence “before the end of 2023”.
In a previous statement to AeroTime, the Indian airline clarified that it should receive all six A350-900s by the end of the year, but the aircraft will be outfitted with Aeroflot’s cabins “as any customization will consume significant time”.
The order during the Paris Air Show totaled 250 aircraft, split between 140 A320neo, 70 A321neo, six A350-900, and 34 A350-1000.
Flightradar24.com data did not show any scheduled flights for Air India’s other upcoming A350s at the time of writing.
