The Brand-New Airbus Jetliner Has Made Its Public Debut, And It Looks Awesome

Airbus, Boeing's chief rival in the aerospace industry, brought its new jet to the Singapore Air Show this week.

We've been seeing photos of the A350 XWB for months, and it did a special fly-over during the Paris Air Show in June.

But this is the first time the public had the chance to go near the thing.

The A350 XWB, in the works for nearly a decade, is an effort to push the envelope in passenger comfort, aerodynamics, and fuel efficiency.

One of the first commercial jets to be made primarily of composite materials instead of metal, the A350 will come in three variants, the 800, 900, and 1000. They will carry between 276 and 369 people.

The variants of Boeing's Dreamliner, another composite jet, seat between 242 and 323 passengers (though airlines can make special arrangements for more or fewer seats).

Boeing had the jump on Airbus, delivering the first Dreamliner in September 2011. But two battery malfunctions a week apart in January 2013 led to a federally mandated grounding, hurting the planemaker's reputation and bottom line.

Eager to avoid such a costly debacle, Airbus has been careful rolling out the A350. But it's now moving through the testing phase at a rapid clip - roughly twice the rate it used on its last new plane, according to Aviation Week.