China Airlines plans major upgrades for entire Airbus A350 fleet

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China Airlines plans major upgrades for entire Airbus A350 fleet

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By Sky Industry News

Dec 10, 2024

China Airlines has announced plans to upgrade its Airbus A350 fleet with new cabins and business suites. The first refurbished A350 is set to enter service in 2027, featuring enhanced inflight entertainment systems and improved connectivity.

The Taiwanese airline has formalized a Letter of Intent with Airbus to retrofit its 15 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. This refurbishment will include significant upgrades across all three cabin classes. Although specific details have not been disclosed, the new business suites are expected to feature privacy doors. China Airlines mentioned that the revamped cabins will maintain "the same Oriental aesthetic" as the current ones, incorporating cultural elements and a persimmon woodgrain finish.

The revamp will also involve an overhaul of the inflight entertainment system and onboard network, likely improving Wi-Fi capabilities. The current layout of China Airlines' A350s includes three cabin classes: business class with 32 seats, premium economy with 31 seats, and economy class with 243 seats.

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The Letter of Intent was announced at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in May, with the project's cost estimated at around $400 million. All 15 aircraft are expected to be retrofitted by the end of 2028.

This move comes after Cathay Pacific's introduction of its 'Aria Suite' product this year and Singapore Airlines' $835 million retrofit program for its A350-900 long-haul fleet. With more airlines opting for suite-style business cabins, Airbus notes that the A350 can accommodate four enclosed suites per row in a 1-2-1 configuration.

China Airlines received its first A350 in September 2016 and expanded its fleet to 15 aircraft by early 2024. The carrier's A350s currently serve nearly 20 destinations across Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe.

Airbus anticipates continued demand for A350 cabin retrofits as many planes approach eight years in service—the typical age for such updates. By 2028, approximately 390 A350s will reach this milestone.

China Airlines is heavily investing in modernizing its long-haul fleet and plans to divide an upcoming order between Boeing's 777X and Airbus's A350-1000 models. This deal is estimated at around $4 billion.