On 27 and 30 December 2024, Korean Air took delivery of its first Airbus A350s. Both aircraft are A350-900s and registered HL8597 (681) and HL8598 (689). They were ferried from Toulouse-Blagnac to Busan.
The duo has been delivered all white and it's expected that these will be the first aircraft to receive the airline's new corporate identity which it plans to launch after completing its acquisition of Asiana Airlines.
In March of this year, Korean Air announced it has ordered six A350-900s, and 27 A350-1000s. Freshly bough Asiana Airlines had open orders for fifteen A350-900s.
Dubai, Toulouse – 25 November 2024: Emirates marks an important fleet milestone today with the delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft. A6-EXA is the first of 65 A350 aircraft to be delivered to the airline over the course of the next few years. The delivery also marks the first new aircraft type to join the Emirates fleet since 2008.
The aircraft was officially handed over this morning to Emirates and will soon embark on its ferry flight from Toulouse (TLS) to Dubai today at 1600hrs local time.
Aviation enthusiasts and Airbus A350 fans can track the flight’s journey in real time on Flight Radar 24. Once the Emirates A350 lands in Dubai, the aircraft will receive its finishing touches at Emirates Engineering before being officially unveiled at a special event later this week.
The delivery flight for the newest member of the Emirates fleet was powered by a blend of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The aircraft will officially enter commercial service in January when it makes its debut flight to its first destination, Edinburgh, followed by 8 other destinations across the Middle East, West Asia and Europe.
Malcolm Nason was present at Shannon on 14 August 2024, when the first Airbus A350-900 for Edelweiss Air broke cover after being painted at the airport.
The aircraft involved is currently registered OE-LHF (079)and will become HB-IHC once in service. Commercial flights are scheduled to begin in April next year.
The close observer will notice a slight modification to the airline's livery, with the red of the tail now swooping onto the fuselage a bit.
In total, Edelweiss Air will add six A350s to its fleet. Four of them are former LATAM-aircraft, while the remaining two are currently in use with Thai Airways.
The airline will use its new widebody aircraft to replace its current long-haul fleet of five A340-300s.
Last month, Lufthansa ordered additional new widebodies with Boeing and Airbus but the Group clearly has a hunger for more as it now acquired second hand A350-900s as well. In total, the airline has secured six A350-900s, which were previously operated by LATAM and South African Airways. The aircraft involved are:
N285BN (035), former LATAM, currently stored at Victorville (CA) since 19 August 2021.
N286BN (045), former LATAM, currently stored at Victorville (CA) since 26 October 2021.
N287BN (079), former LATAM, currently stored at Victorville (CA) since 21 July 2021.
N264AR (363), former LATAM, currently stored at Victorville (CA) since 25 June 2021.
OE-IPK (226), former South African Airways, currently stored at Teruel since 15 July 2020.
OE-IPX (245), former South African Airways, currently stored at Teruel since 11 July 2020.
When the six A350s will join the fleet is unclear but it's expected they will do so after an extensive refitting to the Lufthansa cabin lay-out.
It's not the first time Lufthansa secures second-hand A350s, as the airline has previously sourced four A350-900s from Philippine Airlines.
Today, Lufthansa has 21 A350-900s and a further 33 new on order with Airbus, making them one of the largest operators and customers for the type.
On 12 May 2022, ITA Airways welcomed its first A350. The aircraft, A350-900 EI-IFA (308) was delivered to Rome-Fiumicino from Shannon. Since its delivery it has been flying test-flights out of Rome-Fiumicino in preparation for its entry into commercial service on 1 June. The airline will use its new flagship first on the new Rome-Fiumicino to Buenos Aires-route. Later, it will also be deployed to New York-JFK (NY).
Although this particular airframe was built in 2019, it has never seen active commercial service. It was, originally, intended to be operated by Tianjin Airlines but never delivered. In 2021 it was acquired by lessor ALAFCO, which found a home for it with ITA Airways.
In total, ITA Airways will operate eight A350-900s. Four of these are leased via ALAFCO, the other four via Air Lease Corporation.
ITA Airways (AZ, Rome Fiumicino) will induct its first new-generation widebody aircraft in mid-2022, having signed a lease contract with ALAFCO for four A350-900s due for delivery in the second and third quarters, the Kuwaiti lessor disclosed in a stock market filing.
The ch-aviation fleets advanced module reveals that the quartet comprises units msn 285, 308, 323, and 338. All four flew for the first time in 2019 but have since been storage and are currently parked at Teruel airport. ALAFCO owns a further two A350-900s, which are placed with Hong Kong Airlines (HX, Hong Kong Int'l).
The airline's chief executive, Fabio Lazzerini, said earlier that the first A350 would arrive in June 2022.
In late September, two weeks before the launch of operations, ITA selected Airbus for its comprehensive fleet renewal as it seeks to rid itself of legacy aircraft inherited from Alitalia (AZ, Rome Fiumicino). However, the order placed with the manufacturer did not include the A350s: it only covered ten A330neo, eleven A320neo, and seven A220s. The airline stressed that it would also lease a further 56 aircraft, including the A350s. It did not elaborate on the exact number of A350s it would take within the plan but revealed that 13 out of the 56 leased aircraft would be widebodies.
ITA Airways' current widebody fleet comprises sevenA330-200s, which are all ex-Alitalia stock and are 10.4 years old on average. The airline disclosed that the addition of the A350s would allow it to resume some of long-haul routes previously operated withB777-300(ER)s but not viable with the A330s, such asBuenos Aires EzeizaandTokyo Haneda.
"[We] pushed the delivery of the next two A350s by one year and that is a significant change. And I think that's a positive, and I think that's aligned much better with the demand going forward," Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Magnus Ornberg said during the carrier's quarterly investors call.
The Scandinavian airline currently plans to take both A350s in financial year 2024, which extends from November 2023 to October 2024. It did not offer any further details. SAS already operates six A350-900s which were delivered between November 2019 and June 2021. Two of the six are owned by the airline, two are on finance leases, and two are dry-leased, the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows. Ornberg clarified that one of the two outstanding A350s has already been sold to an undisclosed lessor and will be leased back by the carrier after delivery.
SAS also has two A321-200NX(LR)s on order from Air Lease Corporation due before November 2021 and thirty-five A320-200Ns on direct order from Airbus. The latter will start delivering in 2022 through October 2025. The airline disclosed that it secured financing of around USD100 million for pre-delivery payments for ten A320-200Ns in August 2021.
During the most recent quarter ended on July 31, 2021, SAS posted a net loss of SEK1.4 billion Swedish kroner (USD158.6 million).
Airbus delivers first A350 from its widebody completion & delivery centre in China
Airbus has delivered the first A350 from its widebody completion & delivery centre in Tianjin (C&DC), China, taking additional steps in the expansion of its global footprint and long-term strategic partnership with China.
The A350-900 aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, the largest Airbus operator in Asia and second largest in the world. At the end of June 2021, China Eastern Airlines operated an Airbus fleet of 413 aircraft, including 349 A320 Family aircraft, 55 A330 Family aircraft and nine A350 aircraft.
“I’m proud that Airbus successfully extended the capability of the widebody C&DC in Tianjin to the A350, the latest new generation aircraft, at such a difficult time of global aviation,” said George Xu, Airbus Executive Vice President and Airbus China CEO. “This is a new milestone in the long-term cooperation between China and Airbus, which further demonstrates Airbus’ commitment to the country. Congratulations to China Eastern Airlines, our long-term strategic partner, for receiving the first A350 delivered from China, and I appreciate their trust in Airbus and in our products as always.”
Located at the same site as the Airbus Tianjin A320 Family Final Assembly Line and the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre, the widebody C&DC covers the aircraft completion activities, including cabin installation, aircraft painting and production flight test, as well as customer flight acceptance and aircraft delivery.
The centre was inaugurated in September 2017 with its capability on A330s. Then, during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China in 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding on the Further Development of Industrial Cooperation was signed in Beijing by He Lifeng, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, and Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer, announcing the C&DC would extend its capability to A350 aircraft.
The A350 features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these features translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions. The A350’s ‘Airspace by Airbus’ cabin is the quietest of any widebody aircraft and offers passengers and crews the most modern in-flight products for the most comfortable flying experience.
At the end of June 2021, the A350 Family had received 915 firm orders from 49 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.
Air France Takes Its 11th Airbus A350 – How Many More Will It Take?
French national flag carrier Air France has just received its 11th Airbus A350 as it continues to overhaul its long-haul fleet of planes. Continuing the tradition of naming its aircraft after French cities, Air France has named its latest arrival “Cannes” after the French Riviera resort town famed for its international film festival, upmarket boutiques, and palatial hotels. Air France selected Cannes for the aircraft after being associated with the film festival for the past 41 years.
Air France has named its 11th A350 “Cannes.” Photo: Air France
In a statement published on July 6, 2021, Air France said that its 11th Airbus A350-900 has rolled off the production line in Toulouse and will soon make the journey north to its new home at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). After being given the registration number F-HTYJ, the aircraft will operate on Air France’s premium long-haul routes.
How the delivery works
Before Air France takes delivery of a new plane from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, specialists from Air France visit Toulouse to carry out a thorough check. They make sure that the aircraft conforms to all contractual specifications while spending five days at the Airbus facility.
Day One: A ground check of all external surfaces is carried out, and a static aircraft system, cabin, cockpit, and engine check
Day Two: The specialists carry out a flight check to ensure all the aircraft systems are behaving how they are supposed to
Day Three: A physical rework or provision for all technical and quality snags
Day Four: On day four, the Air France crew completes the technical acceptance attesting to the aircraft conforming to technical specifications and issuing the Airworthiness Certificate
Day Five: On day five, the deeds for the aircraft are transferred from Airbus to Air France, and the plane is then prepared for delivery to its home base
The A350 is a new definition of comfort
Air France has configured all its Airbus A350 aircraft to carry 324 passengers in a three-cabin layout. Business class has 34 seats, premium economy has 24 seats, with economy class making up the remaining 266 seats. Onboard the Airbus A350 Air France, passengers enjoy the following:
A spacious and quiet cabin
Windows that are 30% larger
An optimized air pressure system that provides a more comfortable cabin atmosphere with regularly renewed cabin air
Lighting that adapts to the different flight phases
In business class, the seat turns into a real two-meter-long lie-flat bed, guaranteeing a restful sleep
In premium economy, the brand new “Recliner” seat is 48cm wide and reclines to 124°
In economy class, the seat has been redesigned for even more comfort, with a reinforced ergonomic seat cushion, a 118° seat recline, as well as a 79-cm seat pitch.
Each cabin features large individual High Definition touch screens.
Air France A350s can carry 324 passengers. Photo: Air France
To stay connected onboard the Airbus A350, customers can access the inflight WiFi service Air France CONNECT.
60 new A220-300s
In a move designed to modernize its entire long-haul fleet, between now and 2024, Air France will take delivery of 38 new A350 aircraft from Airbus. And it is not just the long-haul fleet that is getting an upgrade. Starting this September, Air France will begin to overhaul its short-haul fleet with the arrival of the first of 60 new Airbus A220-300 planes.
Qatar Airways Stops Taking A350 Deliveries As Airbus Row Drags On
Qatar Airways has reportedly halted deliveries of its A350 jets due to dissatisfaction with the finish on the aircraft. According to reports, the surface below the paint is degrading unusually quickly and it will not take any more deliveries until Airbus resolves the issue.
Qatar is halting deliveries of its A350s. Photo: Qatar Airways
An issue with Airbus
The row between Qatar Airways and Airbus has reached a new peak today as the Doha-based airline has reportedly halted all deliveries of new A350s. The airline previously said that an issue was causing concern, without specifying exactly what it was. In an interview, Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said,
“We have an issue with Airbus we need to settle, and if we are not able to settle that serious issue we have with them, we will refuse to take any aircraft from them.”
While declining to add any color on what the issue was, speculation pointed to a problem with the paintwork. However, Al Baker debunked this in a subsequent interview, stating simply that it was up to Airbus to resolve the problem swiftly, and threatening ‘industrial repercussions’ for the planemaker.
Now, it seems things have come to a head, as Reuters is reporting that the carrier has halted all incoming deliveries of the Airbus A350 until it is satisfied with the resolution. More specifically, the airline noted that,
“Qatar Airways continues to experience and has witnessed a condition in which the surface below the paint on some of its Airbus A350 aircraft has been degrading at an accelerated rate.”
The airline is Airbus’ biggest customer for the type. Photo: Qatar Airways
This suggests that it is not a problem with the paintwork per se but rather an issue with the surface below the paint. Some aircraft have been grounded while Qatar Airways investigates the problem. The airline continued,
“Qatar Airways will require this condition and its underlying root cause to be fully understood and corrected before the delivery of any further Airbus A350 aircraft.”
When this issue first arose, Al Baker was quick to point out the influence he has within airlines around the world. He noted that any rift in the relationship between Qatar Airways and Airbus could also have an impact on Airbus’ standing with airlines in which he has a stake, including LATAM and IAG.
Airbus is remaining tight-lipped on the situation, saying only that the discussions it is having with a customer are confidential. However, it’s not the first time that an issue with the finish on the A350 has been indicated.
Lufthansa returned its four-year-old A350s to the paint shop in Toulouse, notionally to rebrand with the new livery. And as long ago as January, a Qatar Airways A350 was returned to Toulouse due to a paint/finish problem. The details of the issue will likely come out in the wash, but for now, Airbus is stuck with a customer unwilling to take any new A350 deliveries.
In response to questions from New York City-based Bloomberg News about what route the plane would be put on, a spokesperson for the state-owned airline said:
“The introduction date of the aircraft’s entry into service is yet to be determined as part of the airline’s broader strategy planning.”
Etihad had lofty ambitions
Etihad had lofty ambitions from its inception and thought it could compete with Emirates and Qatar Airways by offering a similar hub and spoke model out of Abu Dhabi. The truth of the matter was that no matter how aggressively it tried, it would always have to play catch up with the competition.
While analysts could see the logic of Etihad’s ambitious plan, they were scratching their heads at the decision to partner with Jet Airways, AirBerlin, and Alitalia. All now defunct except for Alitalia, which had to be taken over by the Italian Government.
A change of tack
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic brought aviation to its knees in 2020, Etihad knew that it needed to cut back if it was ever to make a profit. The first thing it did was cancel orders with Airbus and Boeing for 42 A350-900s, two A350-1000s, and 19 Boeing 777Xs.
When speaking about a corporate shakeup and a new direction for the airline in November 2020, Gulf Business quotes Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Tony Douglas as saying:
“After our best-ever Q1 performance, none of us could have predicted the challenges that lay ahead in the remainder of this year.
“As a responsible business, we can no longer continue to incrementally adapt to a marketplace that we believe has changed for the foreseeable future. That is why we are taking definitive and decisive action to adjust our business and position ourselves proudly as a mid-sized carrier.
“The first stage of this is an operational model change that will see us restructure our senior leadership team and our organization to allow us to continue delivering on our mandate, ensuring long-term sustainability, and contributing to the growth and prominence of Abu Dhabi.”
Etihad A380s may not be coming back.
Once it became apparent that the pandemic was not going away anytime soon, Etihad decided to ground its fleet of ten Airbus A380s. Since then, many A380 operators have decided to retire the bigs jets early and move towards large twin-engine planes. In a sign that Etihad might be doing the same, last month Etihad removed the A380 from its website.
With codeshare partner Air Arabia Abu Dhabi up and running, it also negates the need for many of Etihad’s short-haul routes, allowing them to concentrate more on long-haul and their new bespoke charter service.
Etihad’s A380s will not be coming back. Photo: Getty Images
As for the A350s, the obvious choice is to put them on the old A380 routes but seeing as Etihad has not said how it plans to use them, we will have to wait and see.
Over the weekend, Air France’s newest Airbus A350-900 entered service. The aircraft, christened Saint-Malo, flew to Mumbai on Saturday, May 1st. The new addition to the fleet is the ninth of 38 A350s on order.
Air France has welcomed its ninth A350. The aircraft, named Saint-Malo, has already been deployed on flights to India. Photo: Air France
Air France took possession of its newest A350 on April 30th when it left Toulouse to head to the airline’s base at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. The aircraft is registered F-HTYI and has been named Saint-Malo. This follows the tradition of naming the A350s after French cities.
Since arriving with Air France on Saturday, the new A350 has flown from Paris to Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj airport twice on return trips. Unlike some of its neighboring countries, France has not yet introduced a travel ban on India.
However, a ban remains a possibility since the UK, Germany, and Italy have placed a temporary ban on the country due to increased COVID-19 cases. However, France and India are operating under a bilateral air bubble agreement to three cities in India; Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.
If a travel ban does come into force, the new aircraft may be used to increase capacity on other routes. The airline had planned to use its A350s to fly to Bamako in Mali, Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Bangkok, Atlanta, Boston, and Washington. With a further 29 A350s set to join the Air France fleet in the coming decade, this aircraft, along with the other A350s, will be a big part of the airline’s future fleet.
The summer 2021 season
Air France has already confirmed that leisure travel will be a large part of its focus over the coming months. The airline plans to add several new routes across Europe and to North Africa. This includes routes from Paris Charles-de Gaulle to Tangiers, Agadir, Monastir, Valletta, las Palmas, Corfu and Rhodes. Flights will also be available from Paris-Orly airport to Bari in Italy, Ibiza, and Algiers. In addition, there will be several new destinations from other French cities such as Nice and Marseilles.
The airline confirmed it is also looking at increasing the frequency and/or adding capacity to popular leisure routes for the summer season. The airline keeps a strong focus on its medium-haul routes, making only a few changes to its domestic network. If a travel ban is enforced, meaning the new A350 cannot fly to India, chances are Air France will use it on other routes rather than keep it grounded.
Delta Air Lines orders 25 additional Airbus A321neos
TOULOUSE - 22 April 2021, Delta Air Lines has placed a firm order for 25 A321neo (New Engine Option) aircraft. This is in addition to Delta’s 2017 order of 100 A321neo aircraft. These planes will be powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines. Additionally, Delta has accelerated delivery of two A350-900 aircraft as well as two A330-900neo aircraft.
“With our customers ready to reclaim the joy of travel, this agreement positions Delta for growth while accounting for the planned retirements of older narrowbody aircraft in our fleet, reducing our carbon footprint, increasing efficiency and elevating the customer experience,” said Mahendra Nair, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Fleet Strategy. “We thank Airbus for their steadfast partnership during the pandemic and look forward to working with them as we take delivery of the A321neo as well as our accelerated A350 and A330-900neo deliveries.”
“We have managed the challenges of the last year together with our customers, and it is gratifying to be taking steps like this one towards the regrowth of our industry with our long standing partner, Delta", said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.
Overall, A320neo Family aircraft deliver per-seat fuel improvements of 20%, along with additional range of up to 500 nautical miles or two metric tons of extra payload.
First delivered in April 2017, the A321neo shares 95% airframe commonality with the Airbus A320 Family, facilitating seamless integration into existing single-aisle fleets. The A321neo also shares a common type rating with the rest of the A320 Family, permitting A320 Family pilots to fly the A321neo without additional training.
This latest order from Delta Air Lines brings the A321neo’s total order since introduction to nearly 3,500, with more than 500 aircraft already in fleets around the world.
Singapore Airlines Takes 3 Airbus A350s In One Day
We’ve seen a few simultaneous aircraft deliveries to airlines over the past year. Qatar Airways took delivery of three 777Fs at the start of this year while Ethiopian Airlines took two A350s in November. Singapore Airlines is the latest carrier to accept multiple aircraft at once with the delivery of three A350-900s on April 2nd. Departing Toulouse in the afternoon/evening and flying overnight, the three A350s landed in Singapore between 08:00 and 12:00 on April 3rd.
All three aircraft were Airbus A350-900s. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Flights details for the three A350s
The flights were picked up on RadarBox.com and posted to the flight tracker’s Twitter account:
As you can see above, the three flights were assigned flight numbers SQ8895, SQ8896, and SQ8897. Let’s look at each flight and the A350 aircraft involved in the delivery:
SQ8895: This flight saw the aircraft registered 9V-SHT (MSN 464) depart Toulouse on April 2nd at 13:29 local time. The aircraft flew for 12 hours and 56 minutes, arriving at Singapore Changi at 08:25 local. Data from AIB Family Flights notes that this jet had four test flights before its delivery flight.
SQ8896: This flight saw the aircraft registered 9V-SHU (MSN 469) depart Toulouse on April 2nd at 15:32 local time. The aircraft flew for 12 hours and 47 minutes, arriving at Singapore Changi at 10:20 local. This jet only had two test flights before its delivery flight.
SQ8897: This flight saw the aircraft registered 9V-SHV (MSN 475) depart Toulouse on April 2nd at 17:16 local time. The aircraft flew for 12 hours and 47 minutes, arriving at Singapore Changi at 12:03 local. This jet had three test flights before its delivery flight.
With more A350s still undelivered to Singapore Airlines, we know that the next A350 coming down the line from Airbus is likely the A350 registered as 9V-SJB (MSN 472). This jet was spotted without its engines at Airbus facilities in Toulouse on February 25th, 2021.
The Airbus A350 in Singapore Airlines’ fleet
The A350-900 has quickly become a core type within Singapore Airlines’ diverse fleet. The airline first ordered the type in 2006 and placed three orders for A350 jets after it. In fact, 2013 saw the airline’s total firm orders for the jet increase to 70- which was later adjusted to 67. This includes seven Ultra Long Range models, officially designated the A350-900ULR.
Data from Planespotters.net indicates that the carrier currently has 55 Airbus A350s in its fleet. These have an average age of 2.6 years old.
Singapore Airlines has settled on three configurations for its A350. They are as follows:
67 business class seats, 94 premium economy. This configuration goes exclusively to its A350-900ULRs.
40 business class seats, 263 economy class seats
42 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, 187 economy seats
Singapore Airlines is the only airline (so far) to order the A350-900ULR. Photo: Singapore Airlines
Other aircraft in Singapore Airlines’ diverse fleet include the Airbus A330 and A380 (all 19 remain parked and inactive), as well as the Boeing 737 (inherited from the SilkAir brand closure), 777, and 787. The carrier’s cargo division also operates the Boeing 747-400F.
Korean Air welcomes 1st Airbus A350-900s
