Delivery ceremony of Finnair’s first Airbus A350 XWB aircraft to take place on October 7; long-haul service to Shanghai to start November 21 Finnair will welcome its first Airbus A350 WXB aircraft from Airbus in a delivery ceremony to be arranged on October 7, 2015. Finnair has 19 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft on order, to be received in 2015-2023. Finnair’s first Airbus A350 XWB enters into long-haul service on November 21, 2015 when the aircraft flies from Helsinki to Shanghai. The next A350 long haul destinations include Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore as previously announced. Finnair will also take the aircraft to New York later this year, becoming the first airline in the world to fly to the US with this new aircraft type. ”We are excited about welcoming the first A350 aircraft into our fleet, and look forward to introducing it to our customers,” says Ville Iho, Finnair's Chief Operating Officer. ”For the first few weeks, the new aircraft will serve crew familiarisation flights in Europe, with the first commercial flights taking place on October 9 to Amsterdam and Oslo.” Finnair has slightly adjusted its Airbus A350 long-haul launch schedule, due to changes in the expected delivery schedules of the company’s first A350 aircraft, the needs of the crew familiarisation program, and other operational factors. The company wants to offer the best possible customer experience for its customers, and has therefore adopted a slightly more conservative launch schedule than previously indicated. ”Introducing 19 new aircraft into our fleet over a period of eight years is a major program for Finnair. We have built the necessary flexibility into our preparedness plans and our A340 exit plan to adjust to any changes that may arise over the course of this massive program, ensuring a smooth introduction of the new aircraft into our fleet,” says Ville Iho.
