In a nod to the history of the French aviation industry, the 350th Airbus A350 will fly in the Air France colours.
The aircraft today left the aircraft manufacturer’s assembly line in Toulouse and will shortly begin flying to Bamako and Abidjan.
In returning to its tradition of naming its aircraft, Air France has called it Nice, in tribute to the iconic city on the French Riviera and gateway to the Mediterranean.
Nice joins the A350s already delivered to the company – Toulouse, Lyon and St. Denis de la Réunion. By 2025, Air France will take delivery of 38 Airbus A350s, the new jewel in its long-haul fleet.
6 destinations to discover by Airbus A350
For the 2020 summer season*, Air France will serve 6 long-haul destinations by Airbus A350 on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Bamako (Mali), Bangkok (Thailand), Atlanta, Boston, Washington (USA).
- Bamako – Abidjan: 1 daily flight
- Bangkok: 3 weekly flights (outbound flight on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; return on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)
- Atlanta: 1 daily flight
- Boston: 1 daily flight until 4 May and subsequently 2 daily flights
- Washington: 1 daily flight as from 5 June 2020
*2020 summer season: from 29 March to 25 October 2020
A new definition of comfort
The Air France Airbus A350 has 324 seats, with 34 in the Business cabin, 24 in the Premium Economy cabin and 266 in the Economy cabin.
On board, customers enjoy:
- a spacious and quiet cabin,
- windows that are 30% larger,
- an optimized air pressure system providing a more comfortable cabin atmosphere with regularly renewed cabin air,
- lighting adapted to the different flight phases.
In Business, the seat turns into a real 2 metre-long lie-flat bed, guaranteeing restful sleep. In Premium Economy, the brand new “Recliner” seat is 48cm wide and reclines to 124°. In Economy, the seat has been redesigned for even more comfort, with a reinforced ergonomic seat cushion, a 118° seat recline, as well as a 79-cm seat pitch. Each cabin features large individual High Definition touch screens.
To stay connected on board the Airbus A350, customers have access to Air France CONNECT, the inflight Wi-Fi service, which offers 3 types of pass:
- A free “Message” pass for all, to send and receive messages during the entire flight;
- A “Surf” pass, costing between €3 and €18 (6,000 Miles), to surf the internet, consult and send emails;
- A “Stream” pass, costing €30 (10,000 Miles), to enjoy high-speed internet access, streaming and downloading, including the “Message” and “Surf” passes.
Renewing the Air France fleet, a powerful way of reducing its environmental footprint
With the Airbus A350-900, Air France is accelerating the change towards more sustainable air transport, in line with its HORIZON 2030 commitments.
A latest-generation aircraft, the A350 consumes 25% less fuel (i.e. 2.5 litres per passenger per 100 kilometres) thanks to the use of 67% lighter materials: 53% composites and 14% titanium. Its noise footprint is also reduced by 40%.
(Air France)
