a group of people standing in front of an airplane
Philippine Airlines A350-900

Philippine Airlines receives their first Airbus A350

MSN 221, the first A350-900 for Philippine Airlines, has been delivered.

The aircraft, registered RP-C3501, is the first of six Airbus A350-900s to Asia’s oldest airline.

Philippine Airlines A350-900
Philippine Airlines A350-900

a white airplane on the ground a group of men in suits holding a ribbon a group of people in uniform standing in front of an airplane a group of people standing in front of a large white airplane a group of people standing in front of a large white sign

The cabin is in a three class layout fitted with business, premium economy and  economy seating. Each passenger of all classes have USB power outlets to their disposal on the inflight entertainment screens.

Business class features 30 seats which are 23-24 inches wide and recline into a 2m long fully-flat bed.

Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Business Class

Behind the business class is a premium economy section, offering 24 passengers 19 inch wide seats at a 38 inch pitch in a 2-4-2 layout.

Philippine Airlines A350-900 Premium Economy
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Premium Economy

Economy class features 241 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration with a seat pitch of 33 inches. I am particularly impressed with the extra inch legroom which could make some difference on long haul flights. The width of each seat is 18 inches and has a total recline of 6 inches.

Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class
Philippine Airlines A350-900 Economy Class

As the Philippines is a majority Catholic country, there is a blessing ceremony from the church. I was informed later this is a common practice and Philippine Airlines does this to all of their new aircraft.

a group of people walking in front of an airplane a man holding a cup and a man holding a plant a man in a white robe holding a cup and a plant in a row of seats

Delivery Flight

Flight PR5003 took off from Toulouse around 7:30pm, with flight time 12 hours 15 minutes to Manila, via Eastern Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Chinese aerospace.

From boarding, the highly anticipated delivery flight transformed into “Fiesta” mood on-board. The fun never end then! There were 69 passengers from Philippine and international media, cabin designer, technicians with 8 cabin crew and 5 pilots in total.

two women in flight uniforms standing in a doorway a group of people posing for a photo a group of people posing for a photo

 

 

 

Fiesta Mood

Shortly after takeoff, there was a unique, dynamic light show to celebrate a special occasion, demonstrated by the cabin designer Daniel Baron from Lift.

a row of seats with monitors on the back people in an airplane with people in the back an airplane with rows of monitors a row of seats with monitors on the side

Wing and Curve

a hand holding a glass of beer an airplane wing and the sky the wing of an airplane

After a few hours of rest, the light came back again while we cruised at 43,000 feet over Mongolia and China.

the wing of an airplane the wing of an airplane

 

A Sweet Ending

The hospitality was truly first class on-board. There was a great sense of pride from the management to the operational crew. I received a very nice signed menu card at the end of the flight!

a paper with writing on it an airplane engine above a city two men standing in a plane a group of women in black uniforms in an airplane a group of people in a row of seats

After arrival, there was water cannon salute to the new A350 and a photo opportunity in front of the latest member of Philippine Airlines! The airline plan to have a formal unveil ceremony on 17th July at Manila to display both A350 and recently delivered A321NEO.

a group of people posing for a photo with a banner in front of an airplane

I hope you have enjoyed this special delivery flight report. Philippine Airlines A350 will enter commercial service to Hong Kong from July 20th, from September to London and late October to New York. The airline is due to receive a total of 4 A350 this year and 2 more next year.