Airbus says FAA approves new A350-900

New York (AFP) - The US Federal Aviation Authority has given certification to Airbus's new long-range A350-900 aircraft, Airbus announced Wednesday.

The official approval followed certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on September 30, and amounts to a strong go-ahead for the European aircraft builder to move into production on the aircraft.

Airbus said that as of the end of October, it had 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide for the A350-900, a mid-sized aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.