The first test flight of an Airbus A350 XWB is taking place in Toulouse today (June 14).
The wide-bodied aircraft took off from Blagnac airstrip at the manufacturer's base in southern France at around 10.00 local time (09.00 BST).
The test flight is due to last around four hours before returning to Toulouse.
British Airways has ordered 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft plus 18 further options for its long-haul fleet as it plans to phase out 30 Boeing 747s between 2017 and 2023.
Last month, the A350 was rolled out of Airbus paintshop fully painted in the manufacturer's livery.
It took less than a week to paint the plane, and follows the recent completion of flight-test-instrumentation (FTI) verification.
In April, the A350
XWB underwent its engines installation, and passed a subsequent intensive phase of ground vibration tests.
The final assembly line in Toulouse - named after Roger Beteille, aviation pioneer and one of the four founding fathers of Airbus - was officially inaugurated by French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault last year.
The 74,000 sqm assembly line employs up to 1,500 people, with launch customer Qatar Airways scheduled to take delivery of the first A350 next year.
Airbus has taken over 550 orders for the A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body), with other major customers including Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Asiana, TAM, United, Aeroflot, US Airways and Singapore Airlines.
The aircraft will compete in the next-generation wide-body market with Boeing’s B787 Dreamliner.
Watch the full video of today's test flight below:
airbus.com