The $15 Billion Plane Airbus Didn't Want to Build

9 min 37 s · published October 28, 2026 · Watch on YouTube

The first A350 Airbus announced was a warmed-over A330, and its biggest customers said so in public. Getting embarrassed into a redesign gave the world one of the best long-haul airliners ever built. This is the full story, with the documentary at the top.

Written and maintained by Jacob McEwen, M.S. Electrical Engineering·Last updated

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Intro
  2. 0:38 The band-aid
  3. 1:52 The $15 billion do-over
  4. 2:44 Panels, not barrels
  5. 3:56 One engine
  6. 4:45 Into the air
  7. 5:33 The longest flight
  8. 6:15 The paint war
  9. 7:30 Haneda
  10. 8:24 The freighter

Read the full story

The written version, with photos and every source: The plane Airbus didn't want to build: the story of the A350

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