Article from BTNews 12 OCTOBER 2015
A350 XWB joins Finnair fleet
Finnair has taken delivery in Toulouse of the first of 19 A350 XWBs on order, becoming the first European operator and the third worldwide.
Finnair’s model has a premium three-class layout, with 46 seats in Business Class, 43 in Economy Comfort and 208 in Economy.
The airline began commercial services with the XWB on Friday with a European tour starting at Amsterdam and Oslo. On 21 November, non-stop long-haul flights will start from Helsinki to Shanghai.
The aircraft joins an all-Airbus fleet at Finnair of 45 aircraft, comprising 30 A320 and 15 A330s and A340s.
The long-range A350 XWB is the newest model from Airbus, which says the aircraft offers a significant reduction in fuel burn and lower maintenance costs.
The manufacturer says the XWB also offers the most modern aerodynamic design with carbon-fibre fuselage and wings and new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.
Passengers have a new level of comfort with an extra-wide cabin with more space in all classes, including 18in wide seats as standard in Economy, Airbus says.
The plane maker has recorded 783 firm orders for the aircraft from 41 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful widebody models so far. www.finnair.com www.airbus.com
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