Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturing giant has delivered the 100th copy of the A350, its long-range, twin-engine wide-body jet aircraft to come out of the production line.

The 100th A350 - an A350-900 version - was delivered to China Airlines yesterday at a ceremony at Airbus's delivery centre in Toulouse, France. The 100th A350 is China Airline's seventh A350 XWB.

The A350 XWB is one of the world’s most modern aircraft family, offering true long-range capability, unrivalled operational efficiency and an exclusive passenger experience.

To date, more than 13 million passengers have benefitted from the A350 XWB’s on-board comfort in the quietest twin-aisle jetliner today, while also enjoying the spaciousness of its “Airspace by Airbus” cabin.

The 100th A350-900 delivery milestone for Airbus came 30 months after the first A350 was delivered, making it the fastest widebody production ramp-up for Airbus.

The A350 XWB is Airbus’ all-new mid-size long-range aircraft family. Currently in service with 14 operators worldwide, it is flown on more than 110 routes around the globe, with an operational reliability of 99%.

Airbus has been struggling to reach its planned production rates for the A350 due to challenges relating to aircraft interior supply chains. The 100th A350-900 is the 36th out of the 80 Airbus hopes to deliver in 2017.

Earlier in July, Qatar Airways who was the A350 launch customer, cancelled four Airbus A350-900s due to delivery delays.

As of the end of June, Airbus’ A350 XWB family had logged 847 firm orders from 45 customers worldwide.

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