A350 Deliveries and Routes

[CarbonMan]

The a359 has EASA's certification for ETOPS of 370mins (haven't heard FAA doing the same). Is that sufficient for it to go the polar route during those times of the year that the tail winds via Europe are not as strong?

[FSJZ]

its mentioned that the A359 will be in 3 classes ie business, premium econ and econ. Will this mean that all the 67 A359s will not have first class - and will this have a impact on SQ's high yield market?

The first 20 A350-900s at least will come in a 3 class config (J/S/Y). The seating configuration of the remaining 40 A350-900s and 7 A350-900ULRs are still unknown at the moment.

[eminere™]

Behold, the masked bandit!

[FN-GM]

Don't forget too the shorter regional flights. SQ172 and SQ186 to Ho Chi Minh City used to be served by the B777-200ER upon their return from Manchester and other European destinations. MAN Flyer would know this well.

It won't be Manchester as that is a 777-300ER route.

[SQKevin]

Msn 26 is currently in one of the A15 tents for further rework. Not sure what this entails before it can go for cabin furnishing and engine attachment.

[shikhargpt]

SHE LOOKS GORGEOUS!!

Full res shot: https://i.imgur.com/POWdom7.jpg

P.S. In all honesty, for a press shot that is absolutely terrible. Noise everywhere! I'd expect Airbus to hire a good press photographer who knows how to do a long exposure on a tripod (which is like night photography 101) OR (more likely what didn't happen), I'd expect Airbus to allow the photographer to get his long exposure and just stop the plane in the taxiway for a mere minute for the shot!

[SQKevin]

Msn 26 emerging from the paint hanger last night.

[jaywell]

MSN 26 is now out of the paint hangar.

[SQ22]

I think these two flights are definitely contenders for A350s just as they are now 772ERs and will continue to fill the gaps between the long haul Euro flights they perform.

Don't forget too the shorter regional flights. SQ172 and SQ186 to Ho Chi Minh City used to be served by the B777-200ER upon their return from Manchester and other European destinations. MAN Flyer would know this well.

[eamond]

strange when quite a few airlines could get them to replace ageing 20-year old A343s which burn a fair bit more fuel - e.g. Air Suriname with their lone 343)

Well if you're getting the similarly-aged bird, why getting a whole new type (as is the case for smaller airlines like Surinam and Air Tahiti Nui) with minimal fuel saved and when the capital cost is at rock bottom? I've actually seen the figure and fuel burn differences between 772ER and A343 are really not as great as many might think.

You may be interested in this: http://centreforaviation.com/news/a3...-airbus-289676

Or B77WN will be another option.

I have been puzzling SQ 241/242 and SQ 207/208 provides the best transfer time to/from Europe, but they are not of the products offered. I have seen on it a few times and they are quite full. So hopefully we will see some improvements with these flights as more A350s arrives.

I don't think SQ208 can offer too many European transfers especially those with only 1 or 2 flights per day (e.g. FRA, AMS, MUC/MAN and MXP/BCN in some days all departed before SQ208 arrived). The flight looks to be aiming more for Asian connections rather than European connections (such as PEK, PVG, KIX, FUK, NGO)

Cheers
Michael

[SQ228]

Or B77WN will be another option.

I have been puzzling SQ 241/242 and SQ 207/208 provides the best transfer time to/from Europe, but they are not of the products offered. I have seen on it a few times and they are quite full. So hopefully we will see some improvements with these flights as more A350s arrives.

Unfortunately they arrive in SIN a little too late for many Euro connections- only LHR, ZRH, IST and FCO and I think some MXP/BCN. Asian and Indian red-eye destinations connect really well though. Sometimes they are not too busy- I had them cancel SQ208 on me once and move me to SQ228.

SQ207 is really great though- no waiting around after a long-haul arriving at dawn and you get into MEL that much earlier. Means I can go to work the next day!

I think these two flights are definitely contenders for A350s just as they are now 772ERs and will continue to fill the gaps between the long haul Euro flights they perform.

Interesting that SQ207/8 will move back to 772ER yet again next March- perhaps a sign that A350 will be not far off? I have a booking on SQ208 in mid-March heading to NGO but it's still an A330 then.

[Russ]

I'm surprised with AMS as I was expecting CPH after some of the noises they were making about improving their partnership with SK and going daily by March next year. However, it'll free up another 77W which in turn will knock another old 772 out of service hopefully!

AMS was a bit of a surprise. They went from 772E to 77W operating 2 classes with lots of publicity) then back to 772E only after a few months. Now 77W with F Class later to 359 with no F class. Suspect F loads are low and 77W's F can be better used elsewhere.

As recently as 2014, I had to contend with a 772E with spacebeds (aircraft change) ......

[Russ]

These (improvements) include a higher capacity fuel system within the existing fuel tanks, increasing fuel carrying capacity from 141,000 litres to 165,000 litres.

and

The extended range capability is achieved without installation of additional fuel tanks and the aircraft can be reconfigured easily to the standard A350-900 long haul specification.

That means 60 standard A359s and 7 A359ULRs.

Well, that is a significant reduction in fuel capacity compared to the A340-500 which was 215,000 litres (they tended to burn about 190-200,000 litres on the USA flights) - I would expect the 359 to burn not more than 145,000 on the flights to the West Coast.

The figures tell why the A345 was just unsustainable and had to go and why the 346 was outsold by the 77W by a factor of over 10. And nobody wants them - too heavy for short/medium, too much fuel burn for long haul. (Even old 772Es are not in great demand, as can be seen by some 1998-2000 ones being scrapped - strange when quite a few airlines could get them to replace ageing 20-year old A343s which burn a fair bit more fuel - e.g. Air Suriname with their lone 343)

[flyguy]

its mentioned that the A359 will be in 3 classes ie business, premium econ and econ. Will this mean that all the 67 A359s will not have first class - and will this have a impact on SQ's high yield market?

[SQ22]

What is it with A350's with black cockpit windows? Is there a particular reason?

As I said in the other thread, the cool, futuristic look of the the windows makes the front of the plane look like some cartoon character with his curvy mask.