The delivery of Fiji Airways first Airbus A350 grows ever nearer, as the aircraft just finished its turn in the Airbus paint shop! Fiji Airways expects to have this aircraft flying by early next year.

Fiji Airways
Fiji will operate its new A350 on a scenic flight-to-nowhere while collecting funds for charity. Photo: Airbus.

What are the details?

It is always lovely when an aircraft under construction goes from being an empty green shell to something that we actually recognize from one of our favorite airlines. And today is no exception, with Fiji Airways first Airbus A350-900 rolling out in their bright Pacific livery, as reported by Airbus in a press release.

This aircraft, leased from Dubai Aerospace Enterprises, will actually be the first of its type to operate in the South Pacific. A nice win for a smaller airline facing off against the larger US and Australian carriers.

From here, the aircraft will need to have it's interior fitted, engines installed (you'll notice something funny about that photo above!) and undergo all the flight testing to ensure that it's up to scratch. This will take an additional few months.

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The Airbus A350 in Fiji Airways livery. Photo: Airbus

What will the service be like onboard?

However, here at Simple Flying, we are well aware that most of our readers perfect to fly on the aircraft, rather than just watch them roll around the taxiway. So what will the new A350 be like onboard?

According to the press release by Airbus, the aircraft will feature 33 full lie-flat business class seats and 301 economy class seats. So far the airline has been relatively hush-hush about what premium features guests might experience in business, but we expect to see more details very soon.

But according to fellow industry commentator, Aaron for Sam Chui, Fiji Airways has shown its hand through the seats it has ordered for the aircraft.

"The chosen Business Class seats are the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond model; Economy Class will be the Recaro CL3710 mode, with both classes featuring Thale’s Avant entertainment systems."

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Collins Aerospace Super Diamond model. Photo: RockwellCollins

According to the article, the aircraft will also have in-seat power in both business and economy, as well as WiFi available throughout the entire flight across the Pacific.

When will it fly?

We know that it will be deployed on the existing Australia-Fiji-United States route, linking cities like Sydney and Los Angeles through their hub in Fiji. This aircraft will also allow the airline to open up new routes to other destinations, such as Las Vegas, Seattle, Perth and more.

But when is another question. According to Airbus, the aircraft is expected to be delivered to Fiji sometime in quarter four of this year (October-December). Generally, airlines are cautious about claiming when their new aircraft will be flying as delays can and do happen, but Fiji is confident that they will be able to put tickets on sale for as soon as the 1st of January 2020.

What do you think? Will you fly on the new Fiji Airways aircraft? Let us know in the comments!