Asian carriers defer A350s over cabin-fitment delays

Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok) and Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) have postponed the delivery of their respective maiden A350-900s following delays in the fitment of on-board toilet and seating facilities.

According to Bloomberg, the Hong Kong-based carrier had expected its first A350 to arrive later next month though this has now been postponed towards the end of the second quarter. The delays are related to its business class seats which are manufactured by Zodiac Aerospace; the French firm which is also responsible for outfitting Singapore Airlines' A350s with seats and toilets.

Having experienced a series of delays over the past twelve months, Zodiac's relationships with Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) and Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) have deteriorated to such an extent that Fabrice Bregier, the CEO of Airbus, has now negated the firm's eligibility for A330neo cabin fitment contracts.

"We could have delivered fifteen [A350s rather than 14 last year] if we had not been trapped by some cabin elements of the last aircraft of the year," he said. "Last year we suffered a lot with Zodiac. I expect they will manage to do better this year, especially as a lot of A350s are directly linked to their performance on lavatories and seats."

Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) has also been affected with its maiden A350-900 now due to make its commercial debut in late March/April.

ch aviation