By Kim Jae-heun
Airbus has unveiled its latest A350 XWB model, the A350-1000, in Korea, vowing to secure dozens of orders from Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
Asiana, which has been operating the earlier A350-900, has already ordered 10 A350-1000s from the world’s second-largest aircraft manufacturer. Korean Air has not yet put in an order for the new Airbus plane. The XWB series includes A350-800, A350-900 and A350-1000.
The new model A350-1000 is the biggest of its extra wide body (XWB) aircraft line that has an additional 40 seats with a 7-meter-longer body compared to the A350-900. The extra space provides 40 percent more room for business class while installing around 30 extra seats for economy class. The plane can carry 366 passengers.
“We’ve removed the luggage cabins attached in the mid ceiling to provide space above the passengers’ heads. The A350 aircraft series actually has the highest ceiling among its competitors with the ventilation system purifying the air every two to three minutes,” A350 XWB Marketing Director of Airbus Francois Obe told reporters Tuesday.
“If passengers felt like they were traveling in a small tube before, the new aircraft gives the feeling as if they are at home or in the office,” he said.
Airbus has also increased the fuel efficiency of its new aircraft by 25 percent compared to its competitors _ carrying more passengers at higher speeds to save energy. The manufacturer has used advanced materials such as aluminum and titanium to build 70 percent of the aircraft _ lowering its weight significantly.
Obe stressed the importance of such improvements he believes are also important for airlines in Korea.
“Over the last 10 years, traffic internationally has doubled. Korea has one of the most dynamic markets in the world. Many Koreans travel to North America and Europe these days and major Korean airlines purchasing the A350-1000 will be beneficial because of its size, speed and economy,” Obe said.
The new model can travel a maximum of 14,800 kilometers which is enough to fly passengers from Seoul to North America or any European country nonstop.
The A350 XWB models are much favored in the Asia-Pacific region. Fourteen major airlines have ordered 287 A350 XWB aircraft and this is one-third the total 852 orders Airbus has secured around the world.