Airbus' biggest twinjet spent years as the runner-up in a race against a Boeing aircraft that hadn't yet flown a paying passenger. Now, with the 777X running roughly seven years late, the A350-1000 is winning business from some of the airlines that once swore by Boeing.

The A350-1000 entered service with Qatar Airways back in 2018, but early sales were slow. Carriers with ageing Boeing 777-300ERs had long treated the 777X as the natural successor, and Emirates alone had 205 of the type on order for its fleet renewal. Then the 777X kept slipping — from a promised 2020 entry into service to a current target of 2027 — and the maths changed. Airlines stuck with old jets face rising fuel bills and maintenance costs every year the handover moves, so many stopped waiting.

The order book tells the story: 77 new A350-1000 orders in 2025 alone and a backlog of 258 aircraft by year end. Air Canada committed to eight in February 2026 (plus options for eight more), with delivery slots from late 2030 — evidence of just how tight production queues have become. Riyadh Air and Philippine Airlines have also signed up, and even Emirates, whose president Sir Tim Clark has publicly called its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines defective, was reportedly in advanced talks for at least 30 of the type.

What's drawing buyers in? Range and availability. The A350-1000 is rated at roughly 8,700 nautical miles, about 1,400 more than the 777-9, and it's already flying — over 100 delivered while the 777-9 still awaits its first customer. The ultra-long-range variant goes further still: Qantas' A350-1000ULR flew a 12,460-mile test in July as part of Project Sunrise, the plan for nonstop Sydney–London flights, with 12 aircraft ordered and first deliveries targeted for 2027.

The engine question remains the sticking point. In Gulf heat, the Trent XWB-97 reportedly manages only about a quarter of the time on wing Emirates needs between overhauls. Airbus says a durability package should roughly double time on wing from 2028, using redesigned hot-section parts and a new turbine seal — a target, not yet a proven result. Airbus is also studying a stretched A350-2000, floated at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, that would go head-to-head with the 777X's capacity.

For travellers, this matters more than it might seem. The aircraft airlines buy today shape the routes of the next decade: more nonstop ultra-long-haul options like Sydney–London, newer quieter cabins on busy routes, and Qatar, Etihad and soon others flying the type to hubs worldwide. The A350-1000 is a genuinely pleasant plane to ride in — all, and the current shake-up is why you'll increasingly find yourself on one.

Credit: Simple Flying