Tampa airport to welcome rare arrival of Airbus A350 jet

The aircraft is operated by Finnair, the national carrier of Finland, and will fly the Tampa-Frankfurt route.

By Business Observer Staff
| 10:43 a.m. May 31, 2022
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

Courtesy. The A350, one of the largest aircraft in the Airbus stable, is set to make a rare appearance at Tampa International Airport this week.

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

An Airbus 350 is scheduled to arrive at Tampa International Airport for only the second time this week as Finnair, Finland’s national airline, takes over operation of the route linking Tampa to Frankfurt, Germany.

According to a news release, the route had been operated by Eurowings Discover but was temporarily ceded to Finnair as part of a “wet lease” agreement during the peak summer travel season.

Introduced in 2015, the Airbus 350 was designed to compete with some of the largest aircraft in Boeing’s fleet, including the 777 and 787 Dreamliner. Only once before, the release states, has a scheduled A350 landed at Tampa International Airport — a Delta flight chartered by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Finnair’s A350 will fly the Tampa-Frankfurt route starting this week and ending at the end of October, when Eurowings Discover will resume operation. Passengers will be served by a Finnair crew and can choose from three travel classes: economy, premium economy and business class.