The A350 is proving a popular aircraft with both airlines and passengers. In this article, we take a look at who is operating the aircraft at the start of 2020. Which airlines are the top operators, what orders are in place for more and where are they flying?
A350 orders and deliveries
Airbus has delivered a total of 347 A350 aircraft to 31 airlines (as of December 31st, 2019, data from Airbus and Wikipedia). Of these, 208 are A350-900 variants, and 29 are the larger A350-1000.
Plenty more will be flying over the coming years as well. Total orders currently (again, as at end of 2019) stand at 926 aircraft (750 A350-900 and 176 A350-100). For some more detail on the aircraft and its popularity, take a look at our A350 vs Boeing 787 comparison.
Without a doubt, Asia and the Middle East is where you want to be flying if you like the A350. Eight of the top 10 operators are based there.
Qatar – A350 fleet of 53
Qatar operates the largest A350 fleet – currently 39 A350-900 and 14 A350-1000 aircraft. It has a further 29 A350-1000 aircraft on order, which will keep it in the top position for the foreseeable future. Qatar was the launch customer for the A350-900 back in 2014, and also for the A350-1000 in 2018.
The Boeing 777 (both the 200 and 300 variants are in operation) currently just outnumber the A350 for Qatar, but this will change very soon.
Emirates will be another major Middle Eastern operator as well when it takes delivery of its Airbus A350. It placed a headline-grabbing order for 50 aircraft at the Dubai Air Show in 2019.
Singapore Airlines – a fleet of 45
In close second place is Singapore Airlines. It has made a major commitment to the A350 with 45 A350-900 in operation and 22 more on order. This is a major part of its total fleet of 137 aircraft. Singapore Airlines has seven A350-900ULR models. These are used for their Los Angeles, Newark, and San Francisco services.
Singapore Airlines operate the A350 on both long haul and short-haul flights. Regional destinations include Bangalore, Colombo, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Seoul. For a look inside, take a read of our review of Singapore Airlines’ A350 business class here.
Cathay Pacific – a fleet of 36
In third place is another major Asian airline, Cathay Pacific. It operates 25 A350-900 and 12 A350-1000 aircraft. The Boeing 777-300 is still the dominant member of their all widebody fleet, with 68 777-300 and 777-300ER operating, and 21 777-9 aircraft on order.
Like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific operates the A350 on regional as well as long haul flights, including Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Lufthansa -a fleet of 15
Lufthansa is the largest operator of the A350 in Europe, and currently the fourth largest operator globally. With 30 more aircraft on order, it will remain amongst the top operators for some time.
Lufthansa flies the A350 only on long haul routes. These include Munich to Beijing, Cape Town, Charlotte, Chicago, Delhi, Denver, Montreal, Mumbai, Newark, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo Haneda, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Finnair – a fleet of 14
Finnair is the second-largest operator of the A350 in Europe, with 14 A350-900 aircraft and five more on order.
It provides the best chance to fly regionally on the A350 in Europe, as it regularly operates the aircraft from Helsinki to London and Brussels (though not all flights).
Delta – a fleet of 13
Delta is the largest operator of the A350 in the US – the only one of the major US airlines to fly the type. It currently has 13 A350-900 aircraft, with 16 more on order. Delta has the second largest total fleet of any airline though – 908 aircraft across a mixed Boeing, Airbus, and McDonnell Douglas fleet.
The aircraft is operated on routes to Asia and the Netherlands and features the new Delta One Suite.
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines is notable as having the largest A350 fleet in Africa. It operates 14 A350-900 aircraft and has a further 10 on order. South African Airways also operates the A350 but only has a fleet of four and no more on order.
Other Asian airlines with growing fleets
A number of major Asian airlines have also introduced the A350. Some of these airlines have orders to grow the fleet and will soon move their way up the list. These include the following:
- Vietnam Airlines – 14 aircraft
- Thai Airways – 12 aircraft
- China Airlines – 14 aircraft, with 20 more on order (all A350-900)
- Air China – 10 aircraft
- Asian Airlines – 9 A350-900 aircraft, with 11 A350-900 and 9 A350-1000 on order
- Hong Kong Airlines – 6 A350-900 aircraft with five on order
- Malaysian Airlines – 6 aircraft
- Philippine Airlines – 6 aircraft
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