Air Caraïbes has taken delivery of their first of two Airbus A350-1000s on order, making the type the largest aircraft to be operated by the airline; alongside their fleet of A350-900s and A330s.
Despite being contractually and physically delivered on 2nd of December, the aircraft is not brand new; it is actually a refurbished Airbus test frame that first flew on the 7th of February 2017, before being withdrawn from use on the 21st of August 2018. Under Airbus’ ownership the aircraft was registered F-WLXV, however, now being owned by Air Caraïbes, it is now registered F-HMIL.
During the time Airbus owned this aircraft it conducted various flights around the world, as part of a promotional tour to secure additional customers and prove its operational performance.
To see the highlights of the promotional tour, see this video from Airbus:
Installed in Air Caraïbes’ current and upcoming A350-1000 aircraft are 429 seats across a three-class cabin, consisting of 24 in “Madras” Business Class, 45 in “Caraïbes” Premium Economy and 360 in “Soleil” Economy Class.
Economy seating measures in at 16.5″ wide compared to the common trend of 17″ to 18″, allowing the airline to fit in an additional seat per row. 2015 saw the airline make aviation news around the world, for becoming the first airline to select a 10-abreast configuration on the A350.
Despite the rather cramped Economy cabin, passengers will benefit from the comfortable Airspace cabin with controllable LED mood lighting, larger overhead lockers and improved cabin air quality available as stock on all Airbus A350s.
Air Caraïbes will be deploying their new fleet of A350-1000s on flights to the French Caribbean from Paris; this will offer the airline greater flexibility, especially during peak seasons.
Being an all-Airbus jet operator, Air Caraïbes’ fleet consists of three A330-200s, three A330-300s and three A350-900s. Additionally, Air Caraïbes also flies two ATR 72-500s and two ATR 72-600s for regional routes.
What are your thoughts on Air Caraïbes’ new Airbus A350-1000?