On 19 February 2015, Airbus A350 XWB was visiting "La Munoza", the Iberia technical hangar. A350 MSN002, one of the 5 A350 aircraft in the European aircraft manufacturer's test fleet, landed for the first time at the Madrid-Barajas airport “Adolfo Suárez”.
This flight was operated with the purpose of the A350 XWB aircraft being presented to Iberia officials, the press and the airport authorities in Madrid. During the 2015-2020 period, Iberia will receive 16 wide-body Airbus aircraft, 8 A330-200 aircraft and 8 A350-900 XWB aircraft.
Iberia has stated that it has all the necessary equipment to work with this type of aircraft and is waiting for the arrival of A350 aircraft. Iberia is investing in the renewal of the fleet and has opted for A350 XWB, an aircraft manufactured 11% in Spain. In addition to the operational benefits offered by the Airbus A350-900 XWB, lower operational cost and lower fuel consumption by 25%, there is also an advantage to pilot training. A350 and A330 have a lot in common on the navigation side, and the cost of training the crew will be up to 65% lower.