Airbus gets 780 orders for A350, but none so far from PHL

Text and photos by EARL ROSERO, GMA News

Published May 21, 2015 7:42am

Aircraft maker Airbus said on Wednesday 40 of its clients have so far made “780 firm orders” for the A350, and most of the clients are airlines but neither Cebu Pacific nor Philippine Airlines (PAL) are among the buyers.

Airbus made clear it has no “firm commitments” from the Philippines as of now. During a pre-flight briefing, the presidents of PAL and Cebu Pacific gave neither explicit indication nor categorical answer on buying an A350.

An A350 costs $301M - $350M per plane, depending on the model, Airbus said.

PAL President Jaime Bautista said they will study the matter while Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei said any decision on aircraft acquisition must match their corporate strategies.

Airbus officials said the plane for the demo flight is the A350-900.

The A350-800 seats 285 while the A350-1000 seats 366. The A350-900 has a passenger capacity of 325.

The demo flight aircraft seats 42 in business class and 210 in economy.

In an interview with GMA News Online flight engineer Philippe Foucault said the A350 can be flown by pilots rated or certified for any of the A330 class of planes of Airbus.

Scattered all over the plane are various sensors to monitor indicators relevant to the jet's technical workings and passenger comfort, he added.

– VS, GMA News

Tags: airbus, a350xwb