Airbus has started making parts for the A350 XWB in Germany, the company announced today. Tom Enders, Airbus president and CEO, Gerald Weber, Airbus Germany executive vice president of operations and chairman of the board of management, and Peter Hintze, Parliamentary state secretary and German government aerospace coordinator, hosted a ceremony marking the event at the company's production plant in Stade.

The first German component–the airplane's upper wing shell–measures almost 32 meters by 6 meters (105 feet by 20 feet), making it the largest carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) part ever built by Airbus.

Plans call for Airbus to build the upper wing shells using automated tape-laying technology, not only for the carbon fiber but also for the lightning-strike protection and

Gama Charters of Stratford, Conn., and Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Jet Charter of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday became the latest air charter operators to gain acceptance on the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s industry audit standard registry (IAS). They join 14 operators that have completed the IAS audit and achieved registered status with the ACSF since the program’s inception in 2009.

The IAS audit, valid for two years, provides a comprehensive, independent review of an operator’s compliance with safety and security regulations, as well as its implementation and adherence to a safety management system.