ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION<br/> <br />Europe's newest passenger jet, the Airbus A350, successfully began its maiden flight on Friday.<br/> <br />More than 10,000 employees and spectators gathered outside Airbus's Toulouse plant in France to watch the jet take off.<br/> <br />The flight was manned by two British and French former fighter pilots, and was expected to last four hours.<br/> <br />It caps eight years of development worth an estimated $15 billion.<br/> <br />The jet is seen as a milestone for Airbus as it battles against Boeing's 787 Dreamliner for sales of a new generation of lightweight carbon-composite jets designed to save fuel and open new long-distance routes.<br/> <br />The long-awaited flight comes three days ahead of the Paris Airshow.
