Cathay Pacific A350s have flown close to 400 revenue sectors so far

Cathay Pacific, in the Aug-2016 edition of CXWorld, stated (Aug-2016) following the arrival of the carrier's first A350-900 (B-LRA) on 29-May-2016, Cathay's newest fleet has now grown to four aircraft with the addition of B-LRB, B-LRC and B-LRE. To date, the A350s have been operating an "intense pattern of regional sectors". Head of A350 project Bob Taylor commented: "Our A350s have flown close to 400 revenue sectors so far... Their technical dispatch reliability is in line with expectations bearing in mind ours have been working very hard!". Deputy Flying Training Manager (Airbus) Tim Burns also noted: "By the end of August we will have 146 crew who have completed their training. So from a crewing perspective we are ready. Our next challenge is rostering all our New Zealand-based pilots an extended period in Hong Kong to complete their training in anticipation for the A350 Auckland service, which will commence in October." On the Engineering side, around 50 Cathay Line Engineers are now fully qualified to handle the A350. [more - original PR]