Finnair has praised the decision by the Board of Directors of EADS, the parent company of aircraft manufacturer Airbus, to commit itself to the manufacture of the planned Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.The production schedule of the nine A350 aircraft ordered by Finnair is now expected to be confirmed in the near future.

“EADS’ decision is welcome for us, even though we had also safeguarded our Asian growth with alternative plans. The new A350, with its lower fuel consumption, will cut operating costs significantly and improve passenger comfort. We have constantly maintained good negotiating contacts with Airbus over the decision, which will safeguard the smooth continuity of Finnair’s operations,” said Deputy CEO Henrik Arle.

A year ago, Finnair ordered nine wide bodied Airbus A350 and three A340 aircraft. Last summer, Airbus announced that it would redesign the A350.

“We are in any case taking into our fleet the A340 aircraft, which is already in production. In the next two years, we will receive two of each type of aircraft. We will have lots of flexibility to increase our Asian traffic more strongly or more modestly. In all the alternatives we are trying to achieve a fleet structure that is as modern and as superior in terms of overall economy as possible,” explained Arle.

The Airbus A350 is a 230-350 seat wide-bodied aircraft, depending on the model. Finnair will use the A350s on its expanding Asian routes.
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