Airbus to deliver first A350 to Qatar Airways on December 13

Reuters
A flight test engineer holds an Airbus Group flag after the first flight of the Airbus A320neo (New Engine Option) in Colomiers near Toulouse, southwestern France, September 25, 2014. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways will receive Airbus' <AIR.PA> newest plane, the A350 jetliner, on Dec. 13, the Gulf carrier said in a statement on Thursday.

The aircraft is the first of the 80 jets ordered by Qatar Airways, making it the first airline to receive Airbus' new wide-body long-haul jet.

The A350 is made with carbon composite fuselage and is a direct competitor to Boeing's <BA.N> composite 787 Dreamliner.

Qatar Airways said it would first deploy the jet for commercial service on the Frankfurt route from January 2015.

The aircraft will enter commercial service on Jan. 15, according to the airline's online reservations system.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon, Tim Hepher; Editing by Olzhas Auyezov and Andrew Callus)