Which airline received the first Airbus A350 XWB delivered to a customer?

Qatar Airways received the first Airbus A350 XWB delivered to a customer.

The handover took place in December 2014, making Qatar Airways the launch operator of the A350. The aircraft was an A350-900, the initial production version of Airbus’s twin-engine wide-body family. Qatar Airways began commercial A350 operations in January 2015.

The A350 was developed with a high proportion of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer structures, advanced aerodynamics and new-generation engines. Airbus designed it to compete primarily with Boeing’s 787 and 777 families in long-haul markets.

The delivery date is sometimes confused with the aircraft’s first flight or with the start of passenger service. The A350 prototype first flew in 2013, while the first customer handover occurred in 2014 and Qatar Airways’ commercial operation followed in 2015. Qatar Airways was therefore both the launch customer and the first airline to operate the type.