China Eastern Airlines recently took delivery of its first A350-900 in Toulouse, becoming the latest operator of this twin-engine wide-body aircraft.

The Shanghai-based carrier now operates an Airbus fleet of 356 aircraft, including 306 A320 Family aircraft and 50 A330 Family aircraft, making it the largest Airbus operator in Asia and the second-largest in the world.

China Eastern’s A350-900 aircraft has 288 seats: four first-class, 36 business, 32 premium economy and 216 economy.

The airline will initially operate the new aircraft on its domestic routes, followed by flights to international destinations.

The A350 XWB is an all-new family of mid-size wide-body long-haul airliners.

It features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. All these elements combine to give a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions.

At the end of October, Airbus had recorded a total of 890 firm orders for the A350 XWB (from 47 customers world-wide).

Meanwhile, Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (www.airleasecorp.com) has taken delivery of its first US-produced A321.

The aircraft — delivered from the Airbus US Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama — will be leased to Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which has previously taken direct delivery of six A320-neos from the Mobile facility.