British Airways Is Getting Its First A350 Tomorrow
The day has finally come for British Airways to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft. On Friday, July 26, British Airways will receive its first A350-1000 from Toulouse.
Registered as G-XWBA, the A350 making its way to London Heathrow (LHR) on Friday is the first of 18 of the aircraft on order. On Thursday, BA's PR team released a teaser video of the aircraft leaving a hangar.
The aircraft is expected to land at its future Heathrow home at around 2pm local time (9am ET). You'll be able to track the path of the aircraft on its journey from Toulouse (TLS) to LHR tomorrow by using the G-XWBA registration number on FlightRadar24.
The A350 represents a new era for British Airways. Inside, passengers can expect the biggest update to the carrier's Club World business-class product in decades. The carrier's new Club Suite product will be configured in a 1-2-1 set up, with the highlight of the suite being a door. The A350 will feature 56 seats in Club Suite, 56 seats in World Traveller Plus and 219 seats in economy. Notably missing on the A350s is BA's first class cabin.
Initially, the A350 will fly short-haul between London and Madrid (MAD) for crew to familiarize themselves with the aircraft and new product. Then, as of Sept. 2, the aircraft will fly to Dubai (DXB). By the end of the year, BA will have four A350s in the fleet.
The introduction of the A350 into service means the end of the road is near for the Queen of the Skies — BA's 747s. They're expected to be fully retired from the fleet by 2022.
Stay tuned to TPG on Friday for a first look inside the aircraft.