Airbus A350 – Popular with Passengers and Airlines

It has been only five and a half years since the A350 started flying commercially. But in this short span, the plane has proved to be extremely popular with both passengers and airlines. Airbus has taken orders for 930 A350 aircraft till date and has delivered 372 aircraft to about 30 airlines around the world. 

Popular in Asia

The A350 is hugely popular in Asia. The Operators include Asiana Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and Vietnam Airlines. Apart from these, within China and Hongkong, the operators  are Air China,  Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, 

The largest operator of A350s in Asia is Singapore Airlines with 48 A350-900s in its fleet. The other large operator is Cathay Pacific with 36 aircraft – 24 A350-900s and 12 A350-1000s. 

The A350 is very popular in mainland China with the biggest operator being China Eastern Airlines with 7 A350-900s.

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Lone Flag Bearer in the Pacific

At present, the lone flag bearer of the Airbus A350 in the Pacific is Fiji Airways with 2 aircraft, out of which one is in service. There are no operators of the aircraft in Australia. Qantas was in talks of acquiring an unspecified number of A350-1000s earlier this year, but that order has not materialized to date. 

Africa and the Middle East

Ethiopian Airlines is presently the only A350 operator in Africa. South African Airways did briefly have four A350-900s but these were taken off subsequently within a short duration.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest operator of the aircraft in Africa with 14 A350-900s. All but one are currently flying. The airline Airlines is expecting two more A350s to complete its fleet.

In the Middle East, the Qataris have the largest fleet of A350s in the world with 49 A350s in their fleet. Qatar Airways is both the world’s biggest operator of A350s and the launch customer for the plane. Till last year, they were also operating 4 Airbus A350s previously owned by LATAM from Brazil. Along with Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways is one of the two big operators of the A350-1000 variant. 

None of the other large airlines in the Middle East, like Etihad, Emirates, Gulf Air operate the A350 yet.  Emirates, however, is said to have a large A350 order in place for the future.

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Europe and the United Kingdom

There are a large number of A350 operators in Europe like British Airways, Aeroflot, Air France, Finnair, French Bee, Iberia, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

Lufthansa and Finnair are the largest operators in Europe with 16 A350-900s in their fleets. At present, Lufthansa has parked eight of these. Finnair has five of its A350s permanently on the ground. Aeroflot has one A350-900 to date with a further 6 on order.

The two British airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, both operate A350s. But in a typical contrarian move, both airlines operate A350-1000 only, the only airlines in the world to do so. Normally airlines either operate the more popular Airbus A350-900 or a mix of both fleets. British Airways has six A350-1000s, that are brand new, having being acquired after July 2019. Virgin Atlantic operates five A350-1000s.

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The Americas

There are few A350 operators on Boeing’s home turf. However, Delta Air Lines has 17 A350-900s in its fleet. Delta is able to connect long-haul destinations such as Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Sydney, and Narita with its fleet of A350s. 

Air Caraïbes operates out of Guadeloupe, an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea, and operates four A350s, which includes three A350-900s and one A350-1000. 

In South America, LATAM Brasil is the only operator flying the A350. The airline has been in financial trouble and has 11 A350-900s. Eight of them are in long term parking.

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It is here to stay

It’s interesting to see how the A350 has a large number of operators amongst the Asian and European airlines at present and not so in other regions. However, we are of the view that the Airbus A350 is going to an extremely popular aircraft in the years to come. It is one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world today. It utilizes extensive use of composite materials, along with efficient engines. The excellent performance the aircraft has displayed in its short aviation career in terms of range and low cost of operation will make it a compelling buy for many other airlines in the future. For passengers too, it offers unmatched comfort and great connections due to its enhanced range.