Air Caraïbes commits to six A350XWBs

Air Caraibes has signed a firm contract with Airbus for three A350-1000s, the largest member of Airbus’ new generation A350XWB Family. The airline will also lease three new A350-900s from ILFC. The aircraft will enter into service between 2016 and 2022.

The Air Caraïbes’ A350-1000s will seat 439 passengers in three classes, and the -900 will seat 387 passengers. The aircraft will be operated on the airline’s routes from Paris to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Marteen, Haïti, Saint-Domingue and French Guyana which are currently flown by five A330s.

“We are delighted with our decision to buy A350-1000s”, said Jean-Paul Dubreuil, President of the Supervisory Board of Air Caraïbes. “We already benefit from the excellent performance and economics of our fleet of five A330s, and this new order for A350s will allow us to add capacity and give us an unrivalled economic advantage in a very competitive market”.

“Having Air Caraïbes come back with this new, incremental order for the A350 XWB is great news and a strong signal that this aircraft is the industry’s new benchmark in the long-haul segment,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We are convinced that the A350 XWB’s unbeatable economics and superior passenger comfort will be key contributors to Air Caraïbes” continued success.”

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) is an all-new mid-size long range product line comprising three versions and seating between 270 and 350 passengers in typical three-class layouts and up to 440 in eco-efficient leisure cabin. The new Family will bring a step change in efficiency compared with existing aircraft in this size category, using 25 per cent less fuel and providing an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions. Including this new firm order from Air Caraïbes, the A350 XWB has already won 817 firm orders from 37 customers worldwide.