Hong Kong will be the first international destination to welcome Asiana Airlines’ brand new twin-aisle aircraft, the Airbus A350.

The new jet was due to enter service on 15 May 2017 on the Seoul-Osaka route, but according to the Routes Online flight database, this launch date has now been brought forward to 9 May and the routing changed to Seoul-Hong Kong.

The A350 will then be progressively introduced to several Asian destinations, including Manila, Osaka, Beijing, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore between May and August 2017, with long-haul services to San Francisco due to commence on 14 August.

Asiana has ordered a total of 30 A350s, comprising eight smaller A350-800s, 12 standard A350-900s and 10 larger A350-1000s. The A350-900, which will be the first to arrive, will be configured with 311 seats – 28 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 247 in economy.

The first four aircraft are due to be delivered this year, with the full order scheduled to be completed by 2025.