/Cathay’s new plane

CATHAY Pacific has taken delivery of the first plane in its new fleet of more fuel efficient aircraft.

The airline’s new Airbus A3501000, the first of a 20 strong fleet, flew from Toulouse, France to the airline’s home of Hong Kong on a blend of biofuel.

Eight of these aircraft will be delivered this year with the remainder to arrive by 2021.

After initial rounds of regional services, starting with its first commercial flight to Taipei on 1 July, the A350-1000 will launch Cathay Pacific’s new service to Washington DC on 15 September this year.

The aircraft will also serve Madrid, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Manchester and Zurich from the coming winter.

Cathay Pacific Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Paul Loo said: “We already have one of the youngest long-haul fleets in the sky, and with the arrival of the A350-1000, our fleet is only going to get younger.

“The aircraft follows the successful entry of the -900 variant which has enabled us to expand our long-haul network at a near unprecedented rate, providing our customers with a wider range of non-stop travel choices, while at the same time strengthening Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s largest international aviation hub.

“The -1000 is very similar to the -900 in terms of its operational excellence. It has an incredible range, is remarkably fuel efficient and quiet, provides customers with an unsurpassed cabin environment and has extremely attractive operating economics.”

Over the past two years, the airline has opened non-stop routes to a variety of destinations served by the A350 fleet, including Barcelona, Brussels, Christchurch, Copenhagen, London Gatwick, Tel Aviv, and, most recently, Dublin. A new A350-900 service to Cape Town will be launched in November.