THE A350: A DELIVERY IN2014 AND SERVICE IN2015
The A350-900 first flew on 14 June 2013. Airbus records first delivery to Qatar Airways on 22 December 2014 and commercial service beginning on January 2015. A contemporary delivery account using 2014 and an airline-service history using 2015 can therefore both be correct. They answer different questions. [11, PDF p. 43] [2, A350 programme; first delivery22 December 2014] [3, A350Family story; January 2015 service entry]
The A350 was a new wide-body programme centred on advanced materials, aerodynamics and flight systems. The larger A350-1000 subsequently joined the family, with Qatar receiving its first aircraft in 2018. This continued the family-development strategy at a different technical scale from the single-aisle aircraft represented by Fenix. [3, A350 Family story] [39, First A350-1000 delivery to Qatar Airways]
Airbus reported substantial system-part commonality between the A350-900 and -1000 while describing the longer aircraft and its additional capacity. A high proportion of shared design can coexist with important operating differences. The family identity supplies a starting point for a differences briefing, rather than the final answer. [39, A350-1000 delivery and commonality]