Airbus A350 maiden flight successful

The flight,with two former fighter pilots at the controls,lasted about four hours and capped eight years of development estimated to have cost 15 billion.

The airplane is behaving extremely well, said British chief test pilot Peter Chandler,speaking by radio link from an altitude of 13,000 feet.

It is a great day for Airbus. A maiden flight doesnt happen that often, said Tom Enders,the head of Airbus parent EADS.

The long-awaited sortie is a milestone for Airbus as it battles against Boeings 787 Dreamliner for sales of a new generation of lightweight jets made from carbon-plastic material designed to save fuel and open up new long haul routes.

Competition for wide-bodied jets is expected to dominate next weeks Paris Airshow,where the A350 could steal attention with a brief roar over the aviation industrys largest showcase.