Cathay Pacific will start flying its new Airbus A350 aircraft to New York later this year.

Effective 29 October 2017, the airline’s daily flights between Hong Kong and Newark Liberty International Airport will switch from a Boeing 777-300ER to the Airbus A350-900. The new twin-aisle jet features 280 seats – 38 in business class, 28 in premium economy and 214 in economy – plus in-flight Wi-Fi, power outlets and USB ports.

From the same day, the A350 will also be deployed on one of three daily Hong Kong-San Francisco flights, while Cathay’s four daily flights to New York’s JFK Airport will continue to be operated by a 777-300ER, which still make up the majority of Cathay Pacific’s long-haul fleet.

“The A350-900 is unrivalled in terms of sustainability and passenger experience,” said Philippe Lacamp, Cathay’s senior vice president for the Americas. “The introduction of the A350 as part of our five daily flights from the New York metropolitan area, complementing the Boeing 777-300ER from JFK, delivers on this promise. Not only can customers choose from five different departure times across two airports, but for the first time, they will be able to factor in aircraft preference as well.”

Under the new A350 schedule, flight CX899 departs HKIA daily at 1800 and arrives at Newark Liberty airport at 2140. The return service will then leave at 0110, arriving back in Hong Kong at 0500 the following day.

These times allow inbound passengers to connect at HKIA to Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and more than 20 cities in mainland China, without a lengthy layover.

Cathay Pacific has so far taken delivery of 16 A350-900 aircraft, with six still due to arrive, along with firm orders for 26 larger A350-1000s.