Airline News
Airbus launches A350ULR
October 16th 2015
Airbus has launched an “ultra-long range” version of its A350-900 and Singapore Airlines (SIA) has agreed to be the launch customer after converting seven of its 63 existing A350-900 orders to the ULR variant, capable of flying up to 19 hours and covering a distance of up to 8,700 nautical miles. Read More » The airline plans to use the A350ULRs, the first of which is expected to be delivered in 2018, to fly from Singapore to the U.S. Meanwhile, SIA also placed an order for four additional A350-900s.
According to the manufacturer, the A350ULR will include a modified fuel system to increase fuel carrying capacity, an increased maximum take-off weight, in addition to aerodynamic improvements. SIA will be able to use the aircraft to serve points on the U.S. West Coast, as well as New York.
SIA chief, Goh Choon Phong, said “customers have been asking us to restart nonstop Singapore-U.S. flights, and we are pleased Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner.”
Meanwhile, the carrier plans to take delivery of its first standard-range A350-900 in early 2016. It will initially deploy it for crew familiarization between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, before using it to fly between Singapore and Amsterdam. SIA expects to take delivery of a total eleven A350-900s in 2016.
Airbus said it now has firm orders for 783 A350s from 41 customers, the majority of which are commitments from Asia-Pacific carriers.
