China Southern Airlines Takes Delivery of New 777-300ER
SEATTLE - February 24, 2014 - China Southern Airlines, www.csair.com, the largest airline in the People’s Republic of China, is pleased to announce that it has taken delivery of its first of seven new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The announcement was made at a ceremony held today at the Boeing facility in Seattle.
With the delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER, China Southern will begin one daily flight between Guangzhou (CAN) and Shanghai (SHA) Hongqiao in coming March and plans to begin direct service between Guangzhou (CAN) and New York City (JFK) this summer.
From 2014 to 2016, China Southern will take delivery of another nine Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
China Southern’s new 777-300ER can accommodate 309 passengers in a four-class configuration with 4 First Class, 32 Business Class, 44 Premium Economy and 227 Economy seats.
Mr. Zhang Zifang, COO, China Southern Airlines said, “China Southern is the first airline to operate the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 simultaneously and the arrival today of the 777-300ER is another important development for China Southern, another in our commitment to provide outstanding products and services to our passengers. We’re confident that both these new products will be winners, especially when combined with our great China Southern service.”
"We are honored to play a part in China Southern’s growing success and proud to celebrate this milestone together," said Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Northeast Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
He added that, "the 777-300ER is a great choice for China Southern. Its combination of efficiency, industry-leading reliability and award-winning cabin design will continue to help China Southern generate more revenue and provide a superior passenger experience."
Speaking at the delivery ceremony at the Boeing factory in Seattle, Mr. Dong Suguang, Vice President, China Southern Airlines said, “As always, the comfort of our customers is front and center of our design process. This brand-new airplane features so many highlights and we believe the results represent a very significant upgrade in the products we can offer.”
China Southern Airlines’ new 777-300ER features:
First Class - Fitted with four luxury seats that recline 180 degrees, 82” pitch and 33” wide seat width, 1.52 meters high suite, along with a 23” personal HD entertainment screen with Touch PMU handset.
Business Class - Seating is in a 1-2-1 configuration and staggered layout, guaranteeing convenient and sensible movement onboard for every passenger. Seats can be adjusted into a fully flat bed of 76“ length and 29” bed width. Annular placement of seats with upper deck privacy creates an independent "private room". A three-point safety seatbelt to further assures passengers during take-off and landing.
Premium Economy Class - The jewel of China Southern’s new 777-300ER is the new Premium Economy Class that has been specially designed to meet the needs of passengers need extra space. Premium Economy provides seating in a fixed structure that ensures more privacy space than the traditional Economy Class. It fits the industry’s first fixed “living space” main cabin seat with no intrusion and greater living space with fixed living space seat with a 38”pitch – six inches more than traditional Economy Class. When reclined, the seat-pan moves forward and a 123° reclined angle is provided. It has a large table, cocktail table, footrest, a 10.6-inch personal television, an in-seat power outlet, a multi-port connector for personal devices and extra personal LED light and stowage space.
Economy Class -Configured with adjustable headrest and footrest. The unique cradle‐style articulation and Optimized slimline frame design, with 32” pitch and an 19” width provides comfortable experience. All seats are fitted with 8.9 inch personal entertainment screens and USB port.
IFE AVOD – China Southern Airlines’ new 777-300ER is equipped with the Thales TopSeries AVANT® in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) system. Based on the Android™ Operating System, passengers will benefit from the system’s HD design capacitive touch screen and unique TOUCH PMU handset which allows First and Business Class passengers to play numerous interactive games. System programs are offered in five languages, English, Simplified Chinese, French, Japanese and Korean. Beyond the convenience of on-demand entertainment, passengers have a wide selection of applications including interactive 3D Maps, 12 games, Flight Connect information, eBooks, eShopping, and Picture Viewer. Electronic surveys are also on-board to support China Southern Airlines’ passenger-airline relations.
Notes:
Boeing 777 Milestone Events
As an aviation pioneer in China, China Southern Airliners introduced the 777 in 1995 and made aviation history in 1997 with launch of the world's first nonstop, twin-engine transpacific flight between Mainland China and America with the GE90-powered Boeing 777:
In 1995, the first Boeing 777 was introduced by China Southern Airlines.
In 1996, China Southern Airlines added the Boeing 777-200ER to its fleet.
In 1997, China Southern Airlines became the first ETOPS passenger aircraft to cross the Pacific and recorded the first ongoing extended-range commercial trans-Pacific flight.
In March 1998, China Southern Airlines recorded the first 180 minute ETOPS flight.
On February 14, 2000, two 777 planes of China Southern Airlines were leased to Bangladesh, the first for China Southern to leased its large aircraft to a foreign country.
On July 15, 2001, China Southern Airlines succeeded in a trial flight over the North Pole.
On January 29, 2005, China Southern made its first 777 flight to Taipei, becoming the first passenger aircraft from Mainland China in 56 years to land in Taiwan.
In 2000 and 2006, China Southern Airlines use its 777 to fly to the Solomon Islands to pick up overseas Chinese.
On December 3, 2009, two new Boeing 777 cargo aircraft ordered by China Southern Airlines arrived in Guangzhou.
In 2012, the first group of 777-200ER aircraft in the China Southern Airlines fleet was placed in retirement.
In 2013, the 7th and the 8th 777-200 cargo planes ordered by China Southern Airlines were delivered, bringing China Southern Airlines the airline company with the most 777-200 cargo planes in the world.
On February 24, 2014, China Southern Airlines took delivery of the first of ten 777-300ER with a characteristic four-class configuration and equipped with the world’s most advanced in-flight entertainment system.
About China Southern Airlines
For more than 30 years, China Southern - www.csair.com- has been the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China and is headquartered at the ultra-modern Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou. China Southern operates a fleet of more than 500 modern aircraft and serves 193 cities in 30 countries and regions, forming an extensive network with Guangzhou and Beijing as its hubs.
China Southern is a member of SkyTeam and together the other 18 member airlines offer its passengers a worldwide system of more than 19,000 daily flights covering more than 1,000 destinations in 187 countries.