THE first A350-900 next-generation airplane touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Thursday morning, ushering passengers into the comfort and quietness of this wide-body jetliner.
Cathay Pacific Flight CX907 came with a maximum load of 280 passengers from Hong Kong. The new plane has 38 business-class, 28 premium-economy and 214 economy seats.
The A350 practically replaces the four-engine B747, launched in 1969 and had been a workhorse in the industry for its capacious cabin, capable of holding 500 passengers.
The advent of high fuel prices, eating into the slim profits of airlines, became the basis for the A350 and several other types of aircraft like the B777, B787, made of composite carbon fiber for lightness, long-distance ability and lower operating costs.
The CX A350 new business-class and premium-economy class seats are designed by Studio Porsche, renowned for their intrinsic sense of quality and expertise ergonomics, functionality and comfort.
The A350-900 costs $308 million and competes with Boeing’s B787 ($250 million) and B777 ($350 million). Both are long-range, midsize wide-body, twin-engine jetliners.
Passengers will marvel at the interior with the sculpted seat wings for balanced sense of privacy and openness; window facing outboard seats for a great view; large cocktail table, allowing passengers easy reach of items and more working surface.
Cathay Pacific said the arrival of the A350 marks a significant milestone in the airline’s fleet development. It is designed for extra long-haul flights and provides passenger capacity, payload and range and economy, allowing the airline to expand its global network.
Aside from the usual perks, the airplane has inflight connectivity, offering a new level of comfort and convenience to passengers.
The Hong Kong-based airline has an order of 48 A350, and plans to take delivery of 22 A350-900 in 2016 and 2017, followed by A350-1000 between 2018 and 2020.
The carrier said the A350 is 25 percent more fuel efficient, 25 percent more cost effective and 50 percent quieter in perceived level of external noise.
Light-emitting diode provides internal lighting, with millions if different colors to give a relaxed cabin ambiance that helps reduce jetlag. The fuselage and wings are made of the advanced carbon-fiber reinforced plastic resulting in an airframe highly resistant to corrosion and fatigue, meaning less maintenance. The wings, featuring winglets, has greater lift, less drag and burn less fuel.
A new feature is the automated descent and approaches into landing airports with automated braking for faster runway exit following landing, which improves efficiencies in airport air-traffic control management.
For comparison, the A350 has a range of 8,000 miles, B787 9,000 miles and B777 6,000 miles.