Airbus has confirmed an expanded order for A350-1000s, comprising five additional jets, from Taiwanese carrier China Airlines.
China Airlines had recently disclosed approval for a plan to take 16 more widebody aircraft, comprising five A350-1000s and five Boeing 777-9s along with four 777-8Fs and two 777Fs.
Airbus says the A350-1000 agreement takes the carrier’s overall orders for the type to 15.
“Expanding our A350-1000 fleet marks another important step in our long-term growth strategy,” says China Airlines chair Kao Shing-Hwang.
The twinjets are exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
Kao highlights the aircraft’s “exceptional efficiency and passenger comfort”. The carrier already uses the smaller A350-900 variant.
China Airlines initially ordered 10 A350-1000s in April this year. Airbus’s executive vice-president of commercial aircraft sales, Benoit de Saint-Exupery, says the follow-on order is a “strong vote of confidence” in the larger model.
