Airbus Starts Fabricating First Fuselage Barrel for the A350 XWB
Airbus has begun fabricating the first carbon fiber barrel for the A350 XWB fuselage at its Advanced Composites Center in Illescas, Spain, the company anno

Airbus has begun fabricating the first carbon fiber barrel for the A350 XWB fuselage at its Advanced Composites Center in Illescas, Spain, the company announced today. Airbus said it expects to finish the carbon fiber placement process used for producing the 18-foot-long fuselage barrel, known as section 19, “in the coming weeks.”

Although plans call for Airbus to make the majority of the A350 XWB fuselage from long carbon fiber panels, the company determined that a barrel-shaped structure works best for the tapered rear part of the fuselage.