Emirates has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, marking the airline’s first new aircraft type in 15 years.
The aircraft, registered as A6-EXA, is the first of 65 A350s that Emirates will receive by 2028.
Emirates expects ten of these aircraft to join the fleet by March 2025.
The airline received the A350-900 on November 25th in Toulouse, France.
After a delivery flight fuelled by a blend of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the airline flew the aircraft to Dubai. Emirates Engineering will complete final preparations before the official unveiling later this week.
Emirates will officially unveil its first A350 later this week.
First commercial service
The aircraft will officially enter commercial service on 03 January 2025 with its daily service from Dubai to Edinburgh.
Emirates flight EK 23 will depart Dubai at 14:50hrs and arrive in Edinburgh at 19:05hrs, local time. The return flight, EK24, will depart Edinburgh at 20:40hrs and arrive in Dubai at 08:05hrs, the following day.
Other flights will follow to 8 other destinations including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kuwait, Bahrain, Colombo, Lyon, Muscat and Bologna, with more destinations after that.
Cabin layout
Passengers should enjoy the A350’s spacious and quiet cabin, high ceilings, expansive bin space and customised mood lighting designed to reduce fatigue and jet lag.
Emirates plans to operate the A350 with 312 seats across three classes:
- 32 Business in a 1-2-1 layout
- 21 Premium Economy
- 259 Economy
We only have the Business layout at the moment. Other A350 operators with Premium Economy use a 2-4-2 layout and Economy is 3-3-3.
Presumably, Emirates will announce the full details at the fancy launch event in Dubai.
Free inflight Wi-Fi?
The Airbus A350s will be the first Emirates aircraft to use Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network.
Emirates says the agreement will significantly improve the passenger experience with enhanced connectivity and greater global coverage, even on flights over the Arctic.
Emirates should deliver full details later this week at the ceremony.
