Airbus is on the hunt for more A350 customers, sending a 'demonstration model' out on tour on March 18th. The European planemaker is hoping to convince airlines in India and Bangladesh to choose its flagship widebody for their next high-capacity long-haul aircraft. But will the plan work?

Off to Dhaka

On March 18th, an Airbus A350-900 with registration F-WWCF took off from company headquarters in Toulouse, destined for Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to FlightRadar24.com, the widebody twinjet took off at 17:58 local time and made the journey to Dhaka in just under 10 hours. With flight number AIB101, the aircraft touched down in Dhaka at 08:55 local time the next day.

Airbus will host prospective customers as they examine the A350 in Dhaka. According to the company's schedule, this 'showing' will take place on March 20th. After Bangladesh, the aircraft will be moving on to India, with the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad on the list. The schedule of appearances can be found in the Airbus tweet embedded below.

One of the main events on this tour is the Wings India airshow in Hyderabad, which will undoubtedly give many industry professionals and key decision-makers an opportunity to get close to the jet and check out areas not typically accessible during normal commercial flights.

A350 absent in South Asia

Looking at the present composition of airline fleets in South Asia, it's quite clear that Boeing dominates the widebody market here. Both Biman Bangladesh and Air India operate the Boeing 787 and 777, with neither having any widebodies from Airbus. The same can be said for Vistara, which has a modest widebody fleet of just two 787s.

When it comes to Airbus widebodies in India and Bangladesh, data from Planespotters.net indicates that Air India had a pair of A330s from 2007 to 2014. Meanwhile, Biman Bangladesh wet-leased two A330s from Wamos Air for a short period in 2017-2018.

Before collapsing in 2019, Jet Airways operated A330s while also leasing several A340s from South African Airways from 2005 to 2007. Now defunct Indian carrier Kingfisher also had a few A330s and was even a customer for the A380.

Will this tour change anything?

With a clear absence in this part of the world, Airbus is hoping to put its A350 on the metaphorical radar for airlines in South Asia. Speaking to an Indian media outlet, a company spokesperson offered the following statement:

"Air travel in India is at an inflection point with a growing middle class, an increasing propensity to travel and a geographical advantage all conducive to opening up the long-haul potential. It is the time for the renaissance of international travel solutions in and out of India,"

-Remi Maillard, President and MD of Airbus India & South Asia via News18

It's quite possible for Airbus to make some inroads with the markets of India and Bangladesh. Of course, it will need to convince airlines that its surface degradation issue is not as serious as Qatar Airways is making it out to be.

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

At the same time, we can imagine that Boeing has forged some solid relationships with its customers in this part of the world as well. Assuming that the US planemaker can sort out its 787 issues and get its 777X into service by 2024, there's a good chance that airlines will want to stay with the same types that their crews are used to.

What do you think? Is now a good time for airlines in South Asia to consider ordering the Airbus A350 for future fleet modernization? Let us know by leaving a comment.