India’s first Airbus A350 takes off from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to Chennai. The flight took off from Mumbai at 7.05 am and landed in Chennai at 8.50 am. The first Airbus A350 flew with full passengers. This is the first of 470 Airbus aircraft ordered by Air India.
Air India has decided to use this large passenger aircraft initially on domestic routes and later on international routes, which will accommodate 316 passengers in economy, premium economy and BIS class categories. In the first phase, Airbus will operate between Mumbai Chennai and Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Last December 23, Air India’s first Airbus A350-900 landed at Delhi Airport. Air India has booked a total of 20 Airbus A350 aircraft. Four more Airbuses will arrive before March. The arrival of Airbus is a marked change for Air India since it came under Tata ownership. Air India Airbus A350 aircraft are registered under the name VT-JRA.
Airbus A350 has three classes of travel facilities
The in-flight seating system is like a private business class suite for 28 people, premium economy seats for 24 people and 264 seats in economy class. Business class seats can be converted into beds. Premium economy class will have more comfort. Economy class has 264 seats. A total of 316 passengers can travel. Panasonic EX3 in-flight entertainment system will be available on all seats. High definition screens will also be made available to all passengers.
The first Airbus A350 aircraft started flying for passengers in January 2015. The first Airbus was owned by Qatar Airways. The Airbus A350-900 owned by Air India is the smallest of the A350 models. However, it is a huge aircraft with a length of 66.8 meters, a height of 17.05 meters and a width of 64.75 meters. It can fly non-stop for up to 15,372 km. The Airbus A350-900 can fly at speeds of up to 950 km/h at a maximum altitude of 31,000 feet.
Summary:
Auto News, Air India begins maiden operation of India’s first Airbus A350