Taipei, March 27 (CNA) The first of a fleet of 25 Airbus A321neo narrow-body aircraft ordered by China Airlines (CAL) took off on its maiden passenger journey from Taoyuan to Hong Kong Sunday.
After receiving a water salute from fire engines, Flight CI909 left Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for Hong Kong at 10:24 a.m.
According to CAL, the new aircraft will fly two daily passenger or cargo-only return flights on the route.
Passengers were given commemorative gift bags to mark the debut of the plane, which CAL said will be progressively rolled out on its other routes to destinations including Yangon, Palau, and Manila.
From May 4, the aircraft will also begin flying on CAL's mainstay Songshan-Tokyo (Haneda) route every Wednesday and Saturday.
The A321neo, which is configured for 12 business seats and 168 economy seats, will be the future workhorse of CAL's regional routes, according to the carrier.
Featuring fully reclinable seats in business class, state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment systems, and 4K high-solution displays, CAL said the A321neo was also 15-20 percent more fuel-efficient than the previous generation of narrow-body aircraft.
In addition, the A321neo has the longest fuselage out of all the planes with a two-class interior layout in Airbus' single-aisle A320 family, CAL said.
With CAL's current business emphasis on cargo, the A321neo can also be used for cargo-only flights to optimize returns thanks to the plane's versatile cargo-loading system, according to the carrier.
CAL said it has ordered a total of 25 A321neo aircraft. Three of these have already been received, with another seven to be delivered this year.
