There are currently 14 airlines who are lucky enough to own the Airbus A350 in their fleets, but each of these airlines has presented the newest aircraft in the sky in different ways. Let us examine the pros and cons of both the economy class cabin and the business class cabin of each airline.
The Airbus A350 is a long-range, twin-engine aircraft developed by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Its variants seat 280 to 366 passengers in typical three-class seating layouts (including premium economy). The A350 is positioned to succeed the A340, and compete with the Boeing 787 and 777. At the end of 2017, Airbus had received 858 orders for A350s from 46 customers worldwide – so the aircraft has come a long way since its entry into service with Qatar Airways way back on 15 January 2015.
So let us now take a good look at the economy class and business class cabins of all commercial airlines that currently operate the A350 in their fleet.
Qatar Airways
First flight: 2015
Main routes: Madrid, Male, Paris, London-Heathrow, Singapore, Boston, New York JFK, Delhi
Economy class specs: 247 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 31-32″ legroom
Business class specs: 36 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 22″ width and 80″ legroom
Finnair
First flight: 2015
Main routes: London-Heathrow, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo-Narita
Economy class specs: 208 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 31″ legroom
Business class specs: 46 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 21″ width and 78-81″ legroom
LATAM
First flight: 2015
Main routes: New York JFK (from Sao Paulo)
Economy class specs: 300 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 31″ legroom
Business class specs: 30 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 23″ width and 74″legroom
Singapore Airlines
First flight: 2016
Main routes: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Munich, Mumbai, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Tokyo-Haneda
Economy class specs: 187 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32″ legroom
Business class specs: 42 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 28″ width and 78″ legroom
China Airlines
First flight: 2016
Main routes: Beijing, Hong Kong, Honolulu, London-Gatwick, Shanghai, Tokyo-Narita
Economy class specs: 243 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32″ legroom
Business class specs: 32 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 22″ width and 78″ legroom
Cathay Pacific
First flight: 2016
Main routes: Auckland, Bangkok, London-Gatwick, Newark, Paris, Singapore, San Francisco, Tel Aviv
Economy class specs: 214 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32″ legroom
Business class specs: 38 open suites with 180 degree recline, each with 20″ width and 75″ legroom
Thai Airways
First flight: 2016
Main routes: London-Heathrow, Milan, Melbourne, Singapore
Economy class specs: 289 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32″ legroom
Business class specs: 32 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 20″ width and 73.5″ legroom
Air Mauritius
First flight: 2017
Main routes: Johannesburg, Paris
Economy class specs: 298 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 31-33″ legroom
Business class specs: 28 flat-bed seats, each with 21″ width and 44″ legroom
Delta
First flight: 2017
Main routes: Tokyo-Narita, Seoul, Beijing (all from Detroit)
Economy class specs: 226 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 31-32″ legroom
Business class specs: 32 open suites, each with 22-24″ width and 76-81″ legroom
Lufthansa
First flight: 2016
Main routes: Beijing, Boston, Delhi, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Haneda (all from Munich)
Economy class specs: 224 standard seats, each with 17″ width and 31″ legroom
Business class specs: 48 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 20″ width and 78″ legroom
Asiana
First flight: 2017
Main routes: London-Heathrow, Hanoi, Manila, Osaka, San Francisco, Shanghai
Economy class specs: 247 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32-33″ legroom
Business class specs: 28 flat-bed seats, each with 22″ width and 77″ legroom
Ethiopian Airlines
First flight: 2017
Main routes: London-Heathrow, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Dubai, Accra
Economy class specs: 313 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32″ legroom
Business class specs: 30 flat-bed seats with 180 degree recline, each with 22″ width and 78″ legroom
Hong Kong Airlines
First flight: 2017
Main routes: Los Angeles, Shanghai
Economy class specs: Economy class seats have a width of 18″ and legroom of 31-34″
Business class specs: All business class seats have a width of 42″ and legroom of 44″
Vietnam Airlines
First flight: 2016
Main routes: Paris, Frankfurt, Seoul, Guangzhou (all from Ho Chi Minh City)
Economy class specs: 231 standard seats, each with 18″ width and 32″ legroom
Business class specs: 29 seats, each with 21″ width and 42″ legroom
In 2018, the likes of Aeroflot, Philippine Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Air China are all scheduled to receive the A350 in their fleets, whereas British Airways, China Southern, Air France, and SriLankan Airlines (among others) will join the club in the following year! It is certainly a great time to be a fan of the Airbus A350!
