The folks at Airbus and Qatar Airways demand excellence for their passengers. This is why they chose to use carbon fiber, a material typically found in many a sports car for a new plane. “The design process was about optimization, pushing the constraints, and opening up the box of solutions,” Alain De Zotti, chief engineer of the A350 XWB program at Airbus, says. The manufacturer debuted the design in early 2015, but the first aircraft to land in the United States arrived courtesy of Qatar Airways last week.
Carbon Fiber Plane by Airbus & Qatar Airways
Actually, the idea of a plane made from carbon fiber isn’t new and it has been done in the past. But, with the latest Airbus A350, the company claims to have used carbon fiber in more than 50% of the plane’s construction. The lighter material will help the A350 use less energy to fly, making it an energy-efficient choice for Qatar Airways.
Airbus also claims that their new plane will help combat jet lag through the use of LED lights in the cabin. The lights will change their color temperature to mimic the sun’s natural glow and are timed with natural circadian rhythms.
Carbon Fiber Plane by Airbus & Qatar Airways
To keep air from feeling stale, the plane’s filtering system changes over the air in the plane every two to three minutes. The cabin is pressurized to 6,000 feet, which Airbus claims makes it more comfortable for passengers.
Qatar Airways is the first airline company to use the plane in their fleet. Its trip to New York was the first time the plane landed stateside.
