Finnair (AY, Helsinki Vantaa) will take deploy its first of eleven A350-900s on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) into service during the second half of next year CEO Pekka Vauramo has said. Initial destinations will include Shanghai Pudong, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, and Beijing Capital, with Hong Kong International and Singapore Changi to follow thereafter.

“Since Finnair’s founding in 1923, we have had a long history of operations using the most advanced aircraft available,” Vauramo said. “As the first European operator of the A350 we are proud to carry forward this tradition on behalf of our passengers, whose safety and comfort remain our first priority.”

With 11 firm orders and 8 options for A350 aircraft, Finnair will use the type as a replacement for its outgoing fleet of seven A340-300s. All 11 firm orders are expected to be delivered before the end of 2017.

The aircraft will arrive with a 297-seat configuration including 46 seats in Business Class, 43 in Economy Comfort, and 198 in regular Economy.