The newest aircraft from European plane-maker Airbus is due to take off on its maiden flight later today. The Airbus A350 is designed to be more fuel-efficient, and a direct competitor to US rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. It is seen as vital to the future of Airbus, which competes with Boeing to supply the majority of the world's airlines with new planes. It is due to take off today from the French city of Toulouse, where the A350 is assembled. The Dreamliner has proved popular since its first flight in 2009, despite recently being grounded by regulators over safety fears relating to its batteries. Airbus has already taken more than 600 orders for the new plane. But that still puts it behind the Dreamliner, which has 890 orders so far.