First of ten SWISS A350s moves to final assembly in Toulouse
February 10, 2025
With all the requisite parts transported to Airbus’ Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, the inaugural A350-900 for SWISS (registered HB-IFA) is beginning to come together, with the second of ten units (HB-IFB) to commence the process in the coming weeks.
Collecting the components for the A350 is truly an international affair, with Airbus describing its decentralized production system as “both complex and efficient”. Bringing together the cockpit, radome and main fuselage from Nantes (France), these are combined with an engine mount from Tououse (France) and a horizontal stabliser from Getafe (Spain). The forward fuselage is produced in Nordenham (Germany), the tail and vertical stabliser in Stade (Germany), and the aft fuselage a combination of both German locations.
Meanwhile, the wings – weighing 15 tons apiece and each measuring 32m long – are transported two at a time in Airbus’ ‘Beluga’ transport aircraft from their manufacturing locations in Bremen (Germany), Illescas (Spain) and Broughton (UK).
Following assembly of the airframe (with the tail the only element arriving pre-painted), the integration of electronic systems and installation of the cabin interior can commence. The cabin will be installed at a later production phase; in this instance, integrating new seats described by the airline as “a key element of SWISS Senses”. When the aircraft is “largely completed,” only then is it painted before going a further series of rigorous tests.
In December 2024, SWISS announced it was to double its A350-500 commitment to ten units, drawn from open orders held by the Lufthansa Group (of which SWISS is a subsidiary). At the time, SWISS stated it expected the first five aircraft to arrive by the end of 2026, with the subsequent order due for delivery from 2027 onwards. Last month, SWISS also announced it was to start training flight crew on the new A350 simulator at Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland.
SWISS chief operating officer Oliver Buchhofer has previously described the selection of the A350 as “another major milestone” for the airline, and an airline which “underlines [SWISS’] commitment to investing in a state-of-the-art long-haul airline fleet”.
