Finnair firms up orders for eight additional A350 aircraft

Finnair has firmed up the eight Airbus A350 XWB aircraft options in its 2006 A350 order placed with Airbus. The eight A350s will be delivered to Finnair starting in 2018. At Airbus list prices, the value of the additional eight A350 aircraft would be approximately €1.9bn. The firm up of the options increases the total number of Finnair’s A350 orders to 19. Finnair’s current long haul fleet consists of seven A340 aircraft and eight A330 aircraft. The long haul fleet is planned to grow, on average, by one new-generation energy-efficient aircraft per year between 2016 and 2020. Based on the current delivery schedule of A350s Finnair will receive the first four aircraft in the second half of 2015, seven A350s between 2016 and 2017, and eight A350s between 2018 and 2023. Finnair plans to phase out its A340 aircraft by the end of 2017, following the successful delivery and entry into service of A350 XWB. As a part of the deal Airbus has also agreed to acquire four A340-300 aircraft currently owned by Finnair in 2016 and 2017.