Cathay Pacific has announced it is bringing the world's newest plane, the Airbus A350, to Brisbane from March next year.
The airline will introduce the A350 on its daily night-time flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong – a route said to be popular with business and leisure travellers.
Cathay Pacific is the first bring the lightweight aircraft that is the rival to the Boeing Dreamliner to the Queensland capital. It is the only airline to offer premium economy seating out of Brisbane to Asia and Europe.
The world's newest plane has been designed with features said to help reduce jet lag, new-look cabins across all classes and access to Wi-Fi in-flight including access to luxury online site Net-a-Porter. Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, the A350 is claimed to be the quietest among the aircraft types in its class.
Cathay Pacific's A350 features three cabin classes: business class, premium economy and economy class with the capacity to fly 280 passengers.
Business class seating retains the Cathay Pacific herringbone pattern and 75-inch (190cm) flatbed but the TV is larger at 18.5 inches (47cm).
New premium economy and economy seat features include dedicated tablet holders, in-seat power outlets and USB ports.
Seats in premium economy have been ergonomically designed with an integrated leg rest that reportedly allows more flexibility to adjust for optimal comfort. The new A350s will have extra seven seats in the premium economy cabin.
See also: What's it like to fly on an Airbus A350
Economy seats come with a six-way headrest, a design said to provide better support and enhance sleeping comfort while on board. The seats have a 32-inch (81cm) pitch, 18-inch (46cm) seat width, 6-inch (15cm) recline and larger, 11-inch (28cm) personal TV.
Other features include panoramic windows, LED mood lighting and huge overhead lockers.
From February 1 next year, Cathay Pacific will commence daily A350 flights out of Melbourne. The airline will also operate Boeing 777s out of Melbourne. Both aircrafts will replace the airline's A330s which operate three flights a day from the city.
From Sydney, Cathay Pacific will continue to operate four flights daily on its A330s and Boeing 777s.
The first Cathay Pacific A350 took flight on June 1 on a flight to Manila.
Other airlines operating A350s out of Australia include Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.
Cathay has fares on sale from Brisbane to Hong Kong, London, Rome, Paris, Dusseldorf and Tel Aviv from just $756. See www.cathaypacific.com.au
