China Airlines will take delivery of its first A350 this July, before deploying the aircraft on long-haul services to Amsterdam, Rome and Vienna in December.
The Skyteam member currently serves both Amsterdam and Rome with stopover flights via Bangkok and New Delhi respectively. However, the deployment of the A350 will see China Airlines offer non-stop services to both destinations.
Meanwhile, the Vienna service, currently a direct flight three times a week using a different aircraft, will switch to the A350 but remain the same frequency.
Business class on the A350
After delivery of the aircraft and before its first long-haul deployment to Europe, China Airlines will operate several daily A350 flights between Taipei and Hong Kong as part of the crew familiarisation phase.
The Airbus aircraft will initially serve the route twice daily, before increasing to four times daily from October 1.
According to China Airlines, the cabins of the A350 on European flights will feature the same modern design featured on its existing B777-300ER aircraft. For our reviews of the business class and premium economy class products, see here and here.
A bespoke cabin fragrance is also being developed in order to generate greater brand identity, while the addition of a “Sky Bistro” onboard lounge will see the airline serve up tapas and other authentic cuisine in a European tavern format.
For more information, visit china-airlines.com
Clement Huang