The crowd waited in eager anticipation at Gate A15 of Changi International Airport Terminal 3. At 3.07 pm (Singapore time, 11 May 2015), they broke into applause as the first sign of Qatar Airways’ inaugural A350 XWB service appeared on the runway, and a traditional water cannon salute welcomed the aircraft.

Singapore is the first in Asia-Pacific to receive the world’s newest aircraft, operated by Qatar Airways. The Doha-based airline is the global launch customer for the A350 XWB, and remains the only carrier to currently fly the world’s newest wide-body aircraft. 

Speaking at the welcome ceremony at Changi International Airport, Marwan Koleilat, Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The A350 XWB is the third and final major new aircraft in a decade and Qatar Airways is delighted to be the first global airline to fly this state-of-the-art aircraft into Singapore and Asia Pacific.

“Singapore is a key market for Qatar Airways and we remain committed to offering our Singapore-based passengers the best in-flight experience possible. With the A350 XWB, all 283 passengers can be assured of unprecedented levels of comfort across all classes when travelling to Doha and onwards to key destinations in Europe and the Americas,” he added.

The Business Class cabin has 36 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each of the seats features an 80” full flat bed and 17” HD in-flight entertainment screen.

For Economy Class, there are 247 18” wide seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each seat comes with a 10.6” in-flight entertainment screen. Passengers sitting by the window will also enjoy more space at shoulder level due to the vertical side wall panel design.

The A350 XWB also features a state-of-the-art Oryx entertainment system, with up to 2,000 entertainment options on individual screens in all classes. There is advanced air conditioning technology and LED mood lighting to enhance the comfort of passengers while reducing fatigue after a long flight. For those who need to surf the web, in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity is also available. 

At the moment, Qatar Airways operates a double-daily service to Singapore with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which will be progressively replaced by the next-generation A350 XWB. From 1 June 2015 onwards, Qatar Airways will add an additional daily flight to Singapore. All three daily flights will be operated using the A350 XWB by mid-August.

GIVEAWAY

Singapore has just received the second Qatar Airways A350XWB aircraft on 2 July 2015. In celebration, we are giving away the Qatar Airways A350XWB aircraft model to three lucky readers!

To win the exclusive airplane model, all you have to do is:

1. Like the Asia 361 Facebook page and Qatar Airways Facebook page.
2. Share this post on Facebook and tag up to three friends.
3. Comment below or on our Facebook post what the Qatar Airways new aircraft model is.

We will be giving away one aircraft model per week, starting from 2 July 2015, for three weeks. The winners will be contacted via Facebook or email.