South African Airways (SAA) new Airbus A350-900 operated its first international flight from O.R Tambo International airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport this week.
Zuks Ramasia, SAA’s Acting CEO, said the inaugural flight was the first, and that the airline hopes to introduce it on its international routes.
“We are excited that our passengers will enjoy the A350s superior features such as a quieter cabin and relaxing in-flight experience, including the all-new In-flight Entertainment, extra-legroom seats in Economy Class and lie-flat beds in Business Class,” said Ramasia.
The aircraft, which is environmentally friendly and improved fuel-efficiency can fly further than any other aircraft in commercial service. It is one of the four new Airbus A350-900s that SAA added to its fleet in October 2019. It replaces the Airbus A340-600, which was being used on the route.
“All the A350-900s are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Since entering service in 2015, the Trent XWB engines have flown more than five million hours, and are now regarded as the world’s most efficient large aero-engines.
“The introduction of the A350s will contribute to our operational efficiencies and cost reduction, and forms part of the ongoing fleet renewal programme.
“For example, through the A350s, we will lower our operational costs, and save on our fuel consumption by 25% and also lower our maintenance costs by 40% over five years,” added Ramasia.
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This is a silver lining for South African Airways (SAA) as the beleaguered airline was forced to cancel a number of domestic and international flights earlier this week.
The airline has revealed flight cancellations until January 24, 2020, on select routes.
SAA Spokesperson Tlali Tlali said in a statement that the airline was in the process of consolidating selected domestic flights between the airline’s main hub, Oliver Tambo International Airport Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT), as well as between Johannesburg (JNB) and Durban’s King Shaka (DUR) airports.
SAA will also cancel selected services between Johannesburg (JNB) and Munich (MUC).