JAL Orders 31 Airbus A350s

Japan Airlines has signed a purchase agreement for 31 Airbus A350 XWBs (18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s), plus options for a further 25 aircraft.

This is JAL's first ever order for Airbus aircraft, and also the first order Airbus has received from Japan for the A350 XWB.

JAL and Airbus aim for entry into service from 2019, with the airline's A350 XWBs gradually replacing its ageing fleet approximately over a six year period.

"We will utilize the A350 XWB to maximum, which offers high level of operational efficiency and product competitiveness, while positively catering to new business opportunities after slots at airports in Tokyo are increased," said Yoshiharu Ueki, President of Japan Airlines. "In addition to improving profitability with advanced aircraft, we always aim to deliver unparalleled services to customers with the latest cabin and steady expansion of our route network."

In a typical three-class layout the A350-900 comfortably seats more than 300 passengers on routes as long as 8,100 nautical miles (nm).

The A350-1000 is the largest member of the A350 XWB Family, seating 350 passengers on even longer missions up to 8,400 nm.

All A350 XWB models are equipped with the new Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Over 70 percent of the A350 XWB's weight-efficient airframe is made from advanced materials combining composites (53 percent), titanium and advanced aluminium alloys.

To date, the A350 XWB MSN1 has completed around 300 flight test hours out of the campaign's total 2,500 hours which are to be achieved by five flight test A350's over the next 12 months.

Entry into commercial service of the A350-900 is scheduled for the second half of 2014.