• 

  British Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BA/BAW

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

  Year Founded:

  1974

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Sean Doyle

  Country:

  United Kingdom

If you suffer from triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13), or just consider it an unlucky number - then you may want to avoid British Airways' latest Airbus A350-1000. Interestingly, the UK flag carrier also includes a row 13 even though rival Virgin Atlantic and many other airlines avoid it. But before we digress too far, most other aviation enthusiasts should be excited about British Airways taking delivery of yet another widebody. This took place on August 27th.

Weekend delivery

On Saturday, August 27th, British Airways took delivery of its 13th Airbus A350-1000. Registered G-XWBM, the aircraft has MSN 563, which puts it just after an Air France A350-900 (MSN 562) and just before a Singapore Airlines A350-900 (MSN 564). Interestingly, both of these aircraft were delivered to their respective customers in late June.

As for MSN 563, the aircraft took off from Toulouse this past Saturday at 13:16 local time. With a one-hour time difference, the aircraft landed at 13:44 local, having a flight time of one hour and 28 minutes.

More about G-XWBM

According to AIB Family Flights data, British Airways' latest A350 conducted a total of four test flights, accumulating near eight hours of flight test hours. The aircraft was first spotted on July 4th conducting an engine run and taxi check, and had its first flight on July 22nd.

Complete with a 13th row, this aircraft will be configured with three classes, identical to its fellow A350s. This setup sees 56 seats in business class (Club Suites), 56 in premium economy (World Traveller Plus), and 219 seats in economy class (World Traveller). Data from ch-aviation.com indicates that the jet is company-owned. This is not the case for many other A350s operated by British Airways, which have been financed through various aircraft leasing firms.

Discover more aviation news here.

Other British Airways jets yet to be delivered

With BA having ordered a total of 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, the airline now has just five of the type outstanding from its original 2013 order. However, the A350 is not the only new aircraft type expected by the airline.

British Airways is also expecting 10 more Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners - a process which has been paused over the past two years. Indeed, the most 'recent' 787-10 to arrive at the airline was delivered on June 30th, 2020. This extended pause in deliveries was initially due to the pandemic but later on due to Boeing and FAA scrutiny. ch-aviation.com data indicates that five undelivered British Airways 787-10s already have manufacturer serial numbers and assigned UK registration numbers. These are: G-ZBLC, ZBLD, ZBLE, ZBLF, and ZBLG.

With Boeing once again clear to deliver Dreamliners to customers, it hopefully won't be too long before BA gets a few more 787s. However, it should be noted that this extended pause has resulted in over 100 787s parked - a backlog that will take some time to clear. As for recent activity, BOE Family Flights indicates that G-ZBLF conducted its 11th and 12th test flights on August 16th and 24th, respectively. This jet has now accumulated over 19 hours of test flight time across 12 flights.

Would you prefer to fly one of BA's Airbus A350-1000s? Or would you prefer to step onboard one of its Boeing 787-10s? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Sources: AIB Family Flights, FlightRadar24.com, ch-aviation.com