According to schedule data, around 30 airlines have flown the Airbus A350 during 2021. While LATAM only scheduled 28 flights with the widebody and then decided to pull the plug, others have been making good use of Airbus’ newest clean-sheet design, despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which has particularly hit long-haul carriers.
2021 has been a year of mixed headlines for the Airbus A350. Airbus used the jet to test the benefits of bird-like formation flying and on a blend of 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel. However, the type has also led to a spat between Airbus and Qatar Airways heading to court.
Qatar remains the top carrier
Despite expressing their displeasure with the Airbus A350 in the strongest possible terms throughout 2021, Qatar Airways actually clocks in as the type’s largest user for the year according to schedule data from aviation data experts Cirium.
Around 21 of the airline’s jets are currently grounded, with the carrier looking to take Airbus to the English courts over the matter. Despite this, the airline is still flying its ungrounded aircraft. The Doha-based carrier eclipsed all other A350 carriers with a staggering 28,134 A350 flights scheduled during 2021, roughly 77 each day.
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Singapore also sits high up
Singapore Airlines now has the largest fleet of Airbus A350s and recently expressed interest in adding seven more of the freighter variety. While the airline sits quite a way below Qatar Airways, it has still put its A350s to good use. It has scheduled 21,163 flights with the extra-widebody jet throughout the year, making it one of only two carriers to plan more than 10,000 flights with the type during 2021.
Japan Airlines just misses the 10,000 hurdle
While Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways were the only airlines to surpass 10,000 scheduled A350 flights this year, another airline only just missed out. When you think of the Airbus A350, Japan Airlines probably isn’t the first airline to pop into your mind. Despite this, the airline had 9,977 flights scheduled for the 12 months from January to December.
A European carrier
While Asia and the Middle East make up the top three Airbus A350 carriers, the fourth spot is taken by a European carrier. At the height of the pandemic, Lufthansa made no secret that it was switching to using the A350 on some Boeing 747 routes due to its superior efficiency. The airline also flew the type to Mallorca and took four second-hand A350s to boost its fleet in the short term. With this type, Lufthansa achieved 6,437 flights.
Number 5: Ethiopian Airlines
While the airline again isn’t one that you’d necessarily associate with the A350, Ethiopian Airlines has a sizeable fleet of the jet. The Ethiopian flag carrier was the fifth-largest operator of the Airbus A350 during 2021. Overall, 6,437 flights were planned with the Addis Ababa-based carrier’s A350’s from January to April.
Of course, this is just a handful of the airlines operating the Airbus A350, with other airlines also planning a fair amount of flights. Across all carriers, 140,372 flights were scheduled, though they may not all have operated. Delta Air Lines was the top North American user of the type, with 5,497 flights planned.
Were you surprised at any of 2021s top Airbus A350 operators? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
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