Cathay Pacific receives first Airbus A350

The first of 48 A350s scheduled to be delivered to the airline, the new aircraft features Cathay Pacific’s latest inflight products - Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class cabins. The special event was held in the hangars of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) at Hong Kong International Airport. Employees, media and guests were given an exclusive preview of the latest addition to Cathay’s fleet.

Officiating at the ceremony, Cathay Pacific Chief Operating Officer Rupert Hogg commented with enthusiasm on the new aircraft’s innovative features: “We understand that for our passengers, sleeping well, enjoying first-class entertainment, and using products that have been designed with them in mind are of the utmost importance. The new A350 will provide the very best of all these. "The lower cabin pressure and noise levels combine with our new features to set passengers up for the best sleeping experience possible in the skies. We have gone all out to provide the best inflight entertainment too. "All seats come with the latest high-definition touchscreen personal TVs and a greater selection of movies, TV, live news channels and music. Inflight Wi-Fi is also available to connect passengers to family, work and world events, if they choose. We could not be more excited with what we’ve seen so far of the A350, and I’m sure that our passengers will feel the same way once they step on board. "This superbly efficient aircraft will help us further expand our global network and strengthen Hong Kong’s reputation as an international aviation hub, helping to oil the wheels of commerce and trade in our home city.”

The extra wide body aircraft has been designed with the wellbeing of passengers firmly in mind. A quiet cabin, panoramic windows, LED mood lighting and huge overhead lockers all contribute to a more comfortable and relaxing journey. Overall, the aircraft houses 280 seats over three classes, with 38 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats and 214 economy seats.

As well as reclining to a fully-flat bed, the A350 Business Class seats’ offer an increased seat pitch from 43” to 45”, along with an increased screen size from 15.4” to 18.5”. Other new features include extra stowage space and a “Do Not Disturb” and “Wake Up Call” function in the entertainment system. The Business Class cabin will be configured in a 1-2-1 layout. The Premium Economy Class and Economy Class seats also come with a number of new features, including tablet holders that make allow passengers to enjoy entertainment content on their own devices, and exclusive power sockets and USB ports. Premium Economy will be configured in a 2-4-2 layout, with the seat pitch increasing from 38” to 40” along with an increase in recline from 8” to 9”. Economy Class will have a 3-3-3 configuration, with the personal screen increasing from 9” to 11”. The pitch remains the same as it is on the 777-300ER at 32” with 6” of recline, whilst the seat width has been reduced from 18.5" to 18".

The aircraft will be the first of Cathay’s fleet to offer onboard WiFi, with the rest of the fleet planned to be upgraded in the near future. WiFi will be accessible gate-to-gate for $12.95 (£8.90) for flights that are six hours or less, and $19.95 (£13.60) for flights longer than 6 hours. A single hour of WiFi will be available for $9.95 (£6.80). Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, the A350 is the quietest among the aircraft types in its class, is 25% more fuel efficient, and delivers a 25% improvement in operating costs overall when compared to previous-generation aircraft.

Cathay Pacific's first commercial A350 flight will be from Hong Kong to Manila and Taipei on June 1, before it takes off on its first long-haul flight to London-Gatwick on September 2,  eventually followed by Dusseldorf and Auckland.