A350 takes to the skies on maiden flight An A350 plane takes off from Toulouse-Blagnac airport, southwestern France, on its first test flight on Friday The eagerly awaited maiden flight of Airbus's latest passenger jet - the A350 - began on Friday, with the long-haul aircraft taking off from the company's base in Toulouse. The test aircraft was flown by Peter Chandler, Airbus's chief test pilot, and Guy Magrin, project pilot for the A350. The first test flight is due to last about four hours, and, among other things, will focus on the jet's basic handling, plus its altitude and speed capabilities. The A350 programme represents the single biggest development risk at Airbus, with the company keen to avoid the large cost-overruns and delays that affected its last new passenger jet, the A380 superjumbo, which had its first test flight in 2005. Airbus believes the A350 will enable it to cut down Boeing's lead in the lucrative wide-body twin engine market by providing a strong alternative to the US manufacturer's new 787 Dreamliner and its popular 777 jet. If the A350 test flight goes well, Airbus is hoping the aircraft can do a fly past at the Paris air show next week. Tom Enders, chief executive of EADS, Airbus's parent company, said on Thursday evening that the launch of the A350 was "very challenging" but the maiden test flight would be a "galvanising event" for the group. "We have worked very hard to learn from the lessons - and the mistakes - of the 380 and we have looked over the shoulders of our competitor which was two years ahead," he added. The Dreamliner entered commercial service in 2011, more than three years late, because of technology problems, and Boeing was rocked in January when regulators ordered a temporary grounding of the aircraft after lithium-ion batteries on two 787s burnt. The A350 is also running behind schedule, with its entry into service now scheduled for the second half of 2014 - which represents a delay of up to 18 months. However, Mr Enders expressed confidence that the first A350 would be handed over to Qatar Airways, the launch customer, by the end of next year. Like the Dreamliner, the A350 involves a step change in technology and materials. Both jets are mainly made from lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastic, rather than traditional aluminium alloy, to reduce fuel burn. Mr Enders said the hard part of the A350 programme was the subsequent certification of the aircraft by aviation authorities, the jet's customisation and then the planned ramp-up in production. Reflecting its first mover advantage, Boeing has a backlog of orders for 833 Dreamliners, compared with Airbus's total of 613 for the A350. The A350-1000, the largest of three planned versions of the new Airbus jet, is posing a strong challenge to Boeing's 777.