Sichuan Airlines and Air China to Operate Their First Airbus A350-900s

Sichuan Airlines and Air China are the two important Chinese airlines to handle a widebody carrier namely A350-900. Initially, the new aircraft will be positioned on domestic routes before transferring them to operate international destinations.

Air China’s Airbus A350 has three classes with a total seating arrangement of about 312 seats for passengers. There are 32 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone setting in business class cabins. This signifies that the business class travelers can enjoy direct entrance to the aisle. On the other hand, the premium economy cabin features 24 seats arranged in 2-4-2 configuration whereas there are 256 seats in the economy cabin laid in a nine-abreast configuration.

A350 operated by Sichuan Airlines, however, comes up with only two classes- business and economy class. With a total capacity of 331 seats; there are 28 seats at the front and 303 seats at the rear. The aircraft has a special panda-themed livery and occupies the first position in the list of four which would lease from AerCap. Primarily, the carrier runs an all-Airbus fleet featuring 12 A330s and 123 narrowbody A320s.

The A350 is one-of-its kind that comes with Airspace cabin that has been specially engineered to provide increased ambiance and atmospheric control in the cabin. This has relatively boosted the comfort of passengers.