Aircraft
Airbus A350-900 Receives FAA Type Certification
Wins U.S. approval some six weeks after gaining European ticket.
The A350-900 accumulated some 2,600 flight hours by the time it concluded its testing regime in September. (Photo: Airbus)
The A350-900 accumulated some 2,600 flight hours by the time it concluded its testing regime in September. (Photo: Airbus)

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration awarded the Airbus A350-900 type certification on Wednesday at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C. FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Peggy Gilligan and Airbus Group chairman Allan McArtor joined FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to take part in the official signing ceremony. The milestone follows the A350-900 type certification awarded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on September 30. American Airlines, which holds an order for 22 A350-900s, expects to take first delivery in 2017. Another one-time U.S. customer, United Airlines, last year replaced an order for 25 A350-900s with an order for 35 A350-1000s.