Plane maker Airbus aims to deliver the first A350 jetliner to launch customer Qatar Airways by mid-December, Reuters reported late Tuesday (US time).

Gulf News quoted its chief executive Akbar Al Baker as saying the mid-sized jet would be delivered between December 12 and 15 and appeared to rule out any last-minute hitches that might rattle investors in plane maker parent Airbus Group.

In the US, a representative for the Gulf carrier said the aircraft would be delivered around December 12.

The A350, Airbus's newest plane and made with a carbon-fiber composite fuselage, is a direct competitor to Boeing's composite 787 Dreamliner.