Hong Kong Airlines Receives First A350

Last week saw not only the arrival of Hong Kong Airlines brand new lounge, but also their very first of 21 A350 aircraft. The airline is embracing the aircraft to support its international development, cherry-picking long-haul destinations that strategically support its future growth.

The airline is putting emphasis on developing routes to North America and major European cities, while also developing a network of under-served destinations between Hong Kong and Southern China.

The all-new A350 has a wide-body cabin with 334 seats including 33 Business Class seats, and 108 Economy comfort (not premium economy) and 193 Economy class seats. In economy, the newly designed seats provide travelers with more space in terms of width, pitch, as well as recline.

The flat-bed seats aren’t lightyears from their current product however small design changes have increased comfort, amenities and space. The Business Class seats, may look familiar, sharing the same colour palette and patterns as parent company Hainan, but these new seats have a width of 23” and are completely flat when fully reclined.

All seats in the cabin are equipped with the latest high-definition TV screens which offer a variety of entertainment and information, such as movies, television, news, and music.

Each seat also has a power outlet and USB port fitted to the side for maximum convenience. Moreover, the provision of onboard Wi-Fi services will enable passengers to browse the internet and access social media platforms, so that they can stay connected to the outside world during their long-distance journeys.

The aircraft will be placed on short-haul flights to Bangkok for crew training from the 10th September. It will then be operated on flights to other regional destinations including Taipei and Shanghai, before its assignment to the newly opened Hong Kong-Los Angeles route on 18 December.

As more A350s gradually enter into service, the Company plans to open routes to San Francisco, New York, London, and other European and American destinations next year. The expansion is set to create more employment opportunities, and the airline looks forward to recruiting experienced pilots and cabin crew to support its continual growth.