Toulouse, 27th September 2019 – Air France has taken delivery of their first A350-900. Registration F-HTYA, it is the first of 28 on order.
The first jet was handed over to Anne Rigail, Air France's Chief Executive Officer, and Benjamin Smith, Air France-KLM Group Chief Executive Officer, by Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer during a ceremony held in Toulouse, France.
Air France's A350 is powered by 2 Rolls Royce XWB-84 engines. It will propel the A350-900 fleet to Abidjan, Bamako, Toronto, Seoul Incheon and Cairo. The first Air France A350 flight to Abidjan is scheduled for October 7th.
From Anne Rigail, CEO of Air France,
“The arrival of a new aircraft is always a unique and highly emotional occasion in the life of an airline. Along with all Air France staff, we are extremely proud to welcome the Airbus A350, one of the world’s most efficient long-haul aircraft in terms of environmental, economic and operational performance.
The arrival of this first A350 marks a new phase in Air France’s fleet modernization strategy. Within 5 years, more than half of the company’s fleet will be made up of new-generation aircraft!”
The Air France A350 aircraft features a comfortable three class layout with 324 seats, including 34 full-flat Business, 24 Premium Economy and 266 Economy Class seats.
Air France A350 Business Class
34 Business Class seats in Zone 1 of the Air France A350. All seats come with direct aisle access and Air France claims that each seat can go into a full bed of 2 meters. The seat manufacturer is Safran. Window seats are on the even numbers. (row 2,4,6,8)
Air France A350 Premium Economy
Instead of the current fixed shell Premium Economy seat, on Air France's new A350 the 24 Premium Economy seats are all recliners. The best seat is row 10 (bulkhead row) as no one can recline into you.
Air France A350 Economy Class
Air France's A350 has 266 Economy Class seats across 2 seating sections. I must say the colours are vibrant and this makes it much more pleasant. The seat pitch is 32".
Air France "Hippocampe" Heritage
CEO of Air France and KLM, Benjamin Smith, said that Air France is bringing back its proud heritage, the "hippocampe" or "winged seahorse" on the engines and the winglets of its A350. Furthermore the first aircraft, F-HTYA is named after the city of "Toulouse".
The aircraft’s delivery flight from Toulouse to Paris is powered with a blend of conventional and synthetic biofuel. This initiative underlines the importance of biofuel for the aviation sector and Air France’s commitment to contributing to its development.
Wi-Fi Onboard
Onboard Air France Airbus A350, customers can stay connected with Air France CONNECT, the inflight Wi-Fi offer.
Three different passes are available:
- A free “Message” pass for all, to send and receive messages throughout the flight;
- A “Surf” pass costing between €3 and €18 (6,000 Miles) to surf the internet, consult and send emails;
- A €30 (10,000 Miles) “Stream” pass to enjoy high-speed internet, streaming and downloads, including the “Message” and “Surf” pass.
Air France A350 routes
The Air France Airbus A350 will gradually start operating to 6 destinations from October 7th from Paris CDG.
- Abidjan (Ivory Coast): from October 7th 2019 to December 8th 2019
- Bamako (Mali): from October 7th 2019 to December 8th 2019
- Toronto (Canada): as from October 27th 2019
- Cairo (Egypt): as from December 9th 2019
- Seoul (South Korea): as from December 9th 2019
- Bangkok (Thailand): 2020 summer season
