Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines, a member of the global SkyTeam alliance, has accepted its sixth Airbus A321 neo aircraft.
Before the arrival of the A321 neo, Xiamen Airlines was an all-Boeing operator, flying both 737 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Xiamen Airlines has thus far committed to 15 A321 neo aircraft, alongside 40 smaller A320 neos.
The airline will deploy its new-technology Airbus aircraft on its vast domestic network and across destinations in the Asia-Pacific.
Xiamen Airlines is an affiliate of China Southern Airlines, another SkyTeam member alongside China Eastern Airlines.
According to OAG, Xiamen Airlines was the seventh largest domestic carrier in China in May by departing seats. Its capacity in May was up by 12 per cent vis-a-vis May 2019.
In terms of passenger experience, there is not too much to get excited about Xiamen Airlines’ new A321 neo aircraft.
The aircraft comes in a dual-class configuration with eight recliners in the premium cabin upfront and 200 standard economy seats.
In the 2-2 configured premium cabin, which is sold as first class on domestic flights and business class on international sectors, the recliners feature 42 inches of legroom, while in the 3-3 economy section the seat pitch varies between 29 and 30 inches.
In the region, Xiamen Airlines’ destinations include Manila, Cebu, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Denpasar.
Xiamen Airlines is leasing its initial batch of A321 neo aircraft.
The sixth aircraft, delivered last Friday from the Airbus facilities in Hamburg, is on lease from Hong Kong-based China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC).
Xiamen Airlines, which currently has about 160 aircraft in its fleet, also has placed an order with its original supplier and Airbus rival, Boeing, for 35 737 Max aircraft.
