After flying the Air Mauritius A330neo from London to Mauritius, I stayed in Mauritius for 3 days before returning to Europe. I chose to fly to Paris with Air Mauritius so I could try out their new A350-900. Little did I know that Air Mauritius is the first airline in the world to operate both the A350 and A330neo.
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Mauritius Airport
The airport experience at Mauritius is a pleasant one. Air Mauritius was up-selling last minute Business Class upgrades at the airport, at an attractive rate. One way upgrade to Paris (11 hour flight) was €650, which is quite decent.
Air Mauritius Lounge - Mauritius
I headed straight to the Air Mauritius Lounge, which also houses many other airlines. Given that my flight was the last one to depart, at 23:00, the lounge was very quiet; but I suspect it would be much busier with a few flights departing together, including the double daily Emirates A380 out of Mauritius.
Air Mauritius Lounge - Mauritius
The lounge has two floors, both have the same food offerings, with an additional bar on the second floor. The food choices were decent, my favourite was the vegetable biryani with potato cubes. On the second floor, there is a children play area and dedicated working area, there is also a TV area on the first floor.
Air Mauritius A350 Cabin
The Air Mauritius A350 has 28 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 298 Economy Class seats in 3-3-3 configuration.
Air Mauritius Business Class seats are from Stelia Solstys III, they featuring a 44” pitch, fully horizontal lie-flat bed, 17” inflight entertainment screen and all seats have direct aisle access.
Air Mauritius Economy Class seats are from Recaro CL3710, they feature a 31” to 33’’ pitch and have a 11.6’’ inflight entertainment screen.
The Flight
The flight was operated by Captain Glenn Pretorius, F/O Prakash Luchmun and F/O Perry. Flight time was 11.5 hours with a routing over the Indian Ocean, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, across the Mediterranean, Greece, Italy and finally France. Aircraft registration was 3B-NBP and was delivered in 2017.
Within an hour after takeoff, a quick supper was served in the cabin. The light was dimmed quickly allowing passengers to maximise their rest on this overnight flight. I had a very colourful chicken stew with spinach and corn puree.
On first glance, the Business Class seat on the Air Mauritius A350 looks the same as on their A330neo. However it is actually wider, given the extra width of the fuselage on A350. The flight was not full so I had the opportunity to use a middle pair of seats for some good rest, along with some excellent privacy.
Spectacular Thunderstorm
During the flight over Mediterranean we encountered a spectacular thunderstorm, I was able to record the thunderstorm in my video.
The night started to fade over the French Alps, there was some spectacular scenery to be seen.
Breakfast was served 2 hours before landing, I chose the pancake with vanilla syrup.
You can see the great landing into Paris CDG runway 26L here.
The friendly crew also showed me the cockpit crew rest area, which is located right behind the cockpit door. There are 2 bunks and a chair with an IFE screen.
A350 crew rest 
A350 crew rest
Conclusion
Air Mauritius is a solid African carrier, with one of the youngest fleets in the sky. The Business Class seat on the Air Mauritius A350 is wider than A330neo, due to the wider fuselage. On my 11.5 hour flight to Paris, I rested well and was given an amazing filming opportunity in the cockpit. Be sure to check out the video.
How to get an Upgrade on Air Mauritius?
You can get an upgrade by bidding online here. You can also ask for a fixed price upgrade last minute at check in, subject to availability.