South African Airways (SAA) new Airbus A350-900 has successfully embarked on its first international flight from Johannesburg to New York.
The flight left O.R Tambo International (ORTIA) airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport this week marking a major milestone for the airline.
“This inaugural flight was the first that we plan to introduce on our international routes in the near future,” says Zuks Ramasia, SAA’s Acting CEO.
“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 (IFE), extra-legroom seats in Economy Class and lie-flat beds in Business Class,” she continues.
An Environmentally Friendly Way To Fly
The aircraft, which is environmentally friendly, with 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 a five-year period,” says Ramasia.
