Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) will use its still to be delivered A350-900 fleet to fly the new 4x weekly route from its Moscow Sheremetyevo hub to Osaka Kansai in Japan from June 15, 2020, the first deployment of the new Airbus addition to the fleet. The Osaka route will become the airline's second service to Japan, joining its existing daily B777-300(ER) service to Tokyo Narita.
The Skyteam carrier had originally earmarked one of its five A330-200s to fly the 3,976 nautical mile (7,364-kilometre) sector, but has subsequently switched the operating aircraft to its factory-fresh A350-900s.
According to the ch-aviation PRO airlines module, the Russian state airline is expecting fourteen A350-900s from the European airframer, with deliveries due to commence in early 2020.
Other A330-200-operated routes which could also be changed to the airline's new type include routes from Sheremetyevo to Havana International, London Heathrow, Los Angeles International, Miami International, Tashkent International, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion, Tenerife Sur and Washington Dulles.
It has already begun to phase out its A330 fleet, with two expected to leave the airline's fleet by the end of 2019. In September, Aeroflot cancelled its order for twenty-two B787s.