The body of each A350 XB is 53% composite based, and worth $4.8 million to Hexcel in the materials supplied per individual plane. Speaking at JEC World in Paris last month, the company’s president for aerospace Thierry Merlot said there was currently a backlog of some 844 orders for the A350 XB, with 78 planes delivered during 2017. The programme now needs to be accelerated.

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