First Captain in ‘awe’ of new bird

CAPTAIN Satpreet Singh has been a pilot for Fiji Airways for more than 20 years.

So there’s little that surprises him when it comes to aviation technology.

This week, however, he said he was in awe during the almost 19-hour flight from Toulouse, France, flying as First Captain of the new A350-900 XWB.

The flight home was a smooth affair and he described it as “one of the best experiences” he ever had as a pilot.

“This is the most modern jetliner in the world today,” he said.

“So this is a dream come true personally.

“The amount of innovation that Airbus put into this is truly exceptional.

“We have Rolls Royce supplying the inflight technology which means we have world-class technological brands coming together to put this aircraft together.

“As a pilot we can see the amount of detail, planning and innovation that went into the

A350. When you sit on the flight deck, it’s amazing to see the human factor that was taken into consideration where the gap between human and machine has been narrowed tremendously.”

He said he was proud to play an important part in another historic moment for the airline.

“For Fiji Airways to bring the A350 home is such an amazing achievement for every Fijian.

“As a citizen of Fiji, we should all be very proud because we are well in the game now and can really perform like the best and bigger airlines.”

As a citizen of Fiji, we should all be very proud because we are well in the game now ...

– Captain Satpreet Singh