The Airbus A350 has been in service since January 2015, but still,
only a handful of airlines operate it around the globe. There are
actually three variants of the Airbus A350: the A350-900, the A350-900-XWB, and the A350-1000.
The first of those, the Airbus A350-900, or A359, has been in commercial service since 2015, as stated above. The next variant, the A350-900XWB,
is designed to be an ultra-long-range aircraft that has higher fuel
capacity over the A359. It can fly up to 19-hours within a 9,700-mile
nautical range. The launch carrier of this prototype, Singapore Airlines, completed its maiden flight from Toulouse on April 23, 2018.
It will be used to operate nonstop flights between Singapore and New
York City once the delivery takes place to SQ this August. Global routes that currently or will feature the A350 in 2018The -1000 version will serve as a stretch of the -900,
and be used to replace the Airbus A340-600. Its primary competitors
will be the Boeing 777-300ER and future Boeing programmes such as the
787-10 and 777-9. The A359 was designed to compete with the 777-200ER and 787-9, and replace the Airbus A340-300 and Airbus A340-500.
Currently,
there is only one Airbus A350-1000 in service, and that is on Qatar
Airways. The remaining Airbus A350s that are in service are all of the
-9000 variants with Rolls Royce engines. These are the following
airlines that operate the A350:
This
is probably one of the few airlines that you’ve never heard of, much
less flown. Interestingly, their IATA code is, “TX,” but this is an
airline that has little to do with anything pertaining to the Lone Star
State. Based in Martinique, Air Caraibes only offers a fleet of 12
aircraft, consisting of propeller planes (ATR-72s), Airbus A330s, and
Airbus A350s. It has 2 A350-900s in service and 3 A350-1000s on order.
Air Mauritius
The
flag carrier of this tiny island in the Indian ocean shares
similarities with the one above. It has a small fleet (~21 aircraft)
consisting of short-range propeller planes, as well as a few long-haul
Airbus aircraft, including the Airbus A340, and now, the A350. It has
two in service and four on-order, entirely of the -900 variant. All
routes are operated from its Port Louis hub.
Asiana Airlines
Seoul-based
Asiana is also a Star Alliance carrier and has a mixed fleet of narrow
and widebody planes. It flies to short-haul markets as well as
intercontinental markets, and the A350 has recently been deployed to a
lot of its North American stations. The A350 will be a huge part of its
fleet replacement program, as it has 4 of the -900 series in service and
an additional 17 on order, plus 10 of the -1000 variants on order.
All A350 routes are operated from the Seoul Incheon hub.
Cathay Pacific
Hong
Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has 22 A350-900s in service with an
additional 6 on order. It will also take delivery of 20 Airbus
A350-1000s. All routes are operated from Hong Kong. All routes are from
Hong Kong unless otherwise stated.
China Airlines
China
Airlines, based in Taipei, Taiwan, has 12 A350-900s in service, with an
additional two on-order. All routes are from Taipei unless otherwise
stated.
Delta Air Lines
Delta
was the North American launch customer for the Airbus A350. The vast
majority of its A350 long-haul operations are from its Detroit hub, but
they also appear in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Delta has 8 in service and
17 on order.
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines, based in Addis Ababa, has 7 A350s in service and 17 on order. All routes are from Addis Ababa
Finnair
Finnair
was one of the earliest launch customers of the Airbus A350 and has
utilized this aircraft to transform the long-haul operations from its
Helsinki hub. Previously, Finnair operated Airbus A330s and Airbus A340s
to serve markets in the Middle East and Asia, but now has 11 A350s in
service with an additional 8 on order to fly to these markets as well as
seasonal routes to warm destinations. All routes are from Helsinki.
French Bee
This
is another airline you likely have not heard of, and ironically enough,
this carrier has two Airbus A350-900s that have been around for some
time. The airline used to be called French Blue, but in any case, it
exists as a low-cost carrier connecting Paris to Tahiti, with a stopover
in San Francisco.
Hong Kong Airlines
Hong
Kong Airlines is a newer entrant to the North American market that is
owned by HNA Group, the same parent company as Hainan Airlines. It has 4
A350s in service with an additional 15 on order.
Iberia
Iberia
does not have any A350s delivered (yet) but will begin to receive them
in the next few months. It has already announced the initial A350
routes, including the ones below.
LATAM Airlines Brasil
LATAM
Brasil bases its A350s predominantly in Sao Paulo, with 5 in service
and 12 on order. It also has a sub-fleet of A350s that are leased to
Qatar Airways, and can be found on the following routes to Doha:
Lufthansa
Lufthansa
aims to use the A350 to replace its Airbus A340-300 and Airbus A340-600
aircraft. Since the vast majority of these planes are based in Munich,
many of the first A350 routes on Lufthansa originate in its Munich hub.
It currently has 8 in service and 17 on order.
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines has 4 A350s and 2 on order. All routes originate in Kuala Lumpur.
Qatar Airways
Qatar
Airways is the launch customer of the A350, and has the most of any
carrier in service (23), with also the largest number of -900s on order
(18) and the largest number of -1000s on order (36). It also has 1 of
the -1000s in service.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore
Airlines has the second largest number of Airbus A350-900s in service
(21), but has the largest on-order (46) which will place it ahead of
Qatar Airways when all of them come online. It has opted for 16 of the
-1000 variants.
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways has 11 A350s in service and 1 on order, all of the -9000 family.
Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines has 11 A350-900s in service and 3 on order. Content Source
0 comments:
Post a Comment