At the Dubai Airshow 2023, Emirates inked a deal with Airbus for an additional 15 A350-900s, bringing the total in the order book to 65 for the same aircraft. The airline hoped the first A350 would join the fleet by August 2024. However, that timeline was revised to September 2024 in May this year, when the Dubai-based carrier announced the first routes where the newly inducted widebody will ferry passengers. The airline even announced flights EK839/EK840 to and from Bahrain aboard the new A350-900.
Unfortunately, none of those timelines could be met. But you know what they say: better late than never. Emirates has finally taken delivery of its first-ever Airbus A350-900. The aircraft features an all-new interior theme and seats for 312 passengers. The twin-engined widebody has a three-class configuration, with 32 lie-flat seats in Business Class, 21 seats in Premium Economy and 259 in Economy. Fun fact: the first Airbus A350 is the first new aircraft type to join Emirates’ fleet since 2008.
Emirates’ A350-900 fleet will help strengthen its medium—and long-haul network and allow the airline to serve new routes worldwide. That’s why it has ordered the A350-900 in two versions: one for medium routes and one for ultra-long-haul routes. The existing fleet of Boeing 777s and the iconic double-decker Airbus A380 will aid the carrier’s vision of connecting Dubai with more destinations across the globe.
Now that the airline has received the first Airbus A350-900, it has set a new plan for its commercial introduction. It plans to debut the new aircraft on its Edinburgh route on January 3, 2025. In the following months, multiple destinations across the GCC will be served by Emirates’ A350, including Bahrain, Muscat and Kuwait. European locations, such as Lyon and Bologna, and Asian destinations like Colombo, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, are also in the pipeline. Details for those will be announced next year.
