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Airbus's A350s are modern, sleek and take you the distance – more than 15,000km, in fact. With airlines from all over the world ordering or considering the planes for new long-haul flights, more of them are showing up in the skies above Australia.
At the time of writing (January 2020), 10 airlines fly the Airbus A350 into airports all over Australia. The A350 is the aircraft of choice for airlines flying to everywhere from Nadi to Ho Chi Minh City, with 26 currently active routes. This is less than half the routes that are on offer for those looking to hitch a ride on a Boeing 787.
Here's a list of current services using the plane:
Airline | Flight # (inbound) | Flight # (outbound) | Route | Frequency (per week) | Variant |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cathay Pacific | CX157 | CX156 | Brisbane - Hong Kong | Daily | A350-900 |
Cathay Pacific | CX105 | CX104 | Melbourne - Hong Kong | Daily | A350-1000 |
Cathay Pacific | CX135 | CX134 | Melbourne - Hong Kong | Daily | A350-900 |
China Airlines | CI57 | CI58 | Melbourne - Taipei | Four | A350-900 |
China Airlines | CI51 | CI52 | Sydney - Taipei | Daily | A350-900 |
China Airlines | CI55 | CI56 | Sydney - Taipei | Four | A350-900 |
China Eastern | MU561 | MU562 | Sydney - Shanghai | Daily | A350-900 |
China Southern | CZ381 | CZ382 | Brisbane - Guangzhou | Daily | A350-900 |
Fiji Airways | FJ911 | FJ910 | Sydney - Nadi | Daily | A350-900 |
Malaysia Airlines | MH123 | MH122 | Sydney - Kuala Lumpur | Daily | A350-900 |
Qatar Airways | QR914 | QR915 | Adelaide - Doha | Daily | A350-900 |
Qatar Airways | QR106 | QR907 | Canberra - Sydney - Doha | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ279 | SQ278 | Adelaide - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ277 | SQ276 | Adelaide - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ265 | SQ266 | Brisbane - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ245 | SQ246 | Brisbane - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ235 | SQ236 | Brisbane - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ255 | SQ256 | Brisbane - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ207 | SQ208 | Melbourne - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ247 | SQ248 | Melbourne - Singapore | Five | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ248 | SQ247 | Melbourne - Wellington | Five | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ213 | SQ214 | Perth - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Singapore Airlines | SQ223 | SQ224 | Perth - Singapore | Daily | A350-900 |
Thai Airways | TG465 | TG466 | Melbourne - Bangkok | Daily | A350-900 |
Thai Airways | TG461 | TG462 | Melbourne - Bangkok | Daily | A350-900 |
Vietnam Airlines | VN781 | VN780 | Melbourne - Ho Chi Minh City | Daily | A350-900 |
Have we missed any? Let us know below and we'll add it!
If you're about to head off and select flights for your next trip, make sure you're getting the plane you want at booking. Schedules can change and aircraft can switch around, so double-check to avoid being disappointed.
The first A350 service to Australia started in 2016 with Qatar's daily flight to Adelaide. Since then, a lot more A350s have been made and delivered to airlines, who have started to operate more of them on routes into Australia.
In December 2019, Qantas selected the Airbus A350-1000 for its "Project Sunrise" flights, which will potentially offer 20+ hour services to London and New York from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. If Qantas goes through with its plans, there will be a lot more A350s in Australian skies.
Airbus still has a lot of A350s to deliver, including to airlines that already fly to Australia such as LATAM and Emirates. We could easily see more routes to Australia start using the A350, or see older aircraft replaced on existing routes. Either way, expect at least a few more of the A350.
A new aircraft has some benefits for travellers looking to enjoy their flight a little more. Without getting too technical, the A350 has the following features:
There's not much difference between the A350-900 and the A350-1000, except for the size. The A350-900 is a little bit smaller than its younger counterpart, fitting fewer passengers and less cargo aboard.
The A350-1000 is also rated to travel 1,100km further than the A350-900, allowing it to fly up to 16,100km without refuelling.
Airbus originally planned to have an A350-800, too. This was a smaller but longer-range variant of the A350. Airbus eventually cancelled this and instead launched the A330-NEO to fill the gap in the market that the A350-800 would have left.
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