Emirates Plans First Airbus A350 Routes

The airline will initially deploy the new aircraft in three regions.

An Emirates A350-900 mock-up (Photo: Airbus)

[ Routes ]May 6, 2024 9:59 am ET

By Ryan Ewing

Emirates unveiled on Monday the first routes to be served by its upcoming Airbus A350-900XWB aircraft, scheduled for launch in September 2024. Ten new A350s are expected to join the Dubai-based airline’s fleet by March 2025, offering the airline’s latest cabin experiences on short and medium-haul routes.

The first A350 flight, EK839, will depart Dubai for Bahrain on Sept. 15, 2024. Passengers can expect three cabin classes on the A350: 32 Business Class seats, 21 Premium Economy seats, and 259 Economy Class seats.

The initial deployment of the airline’s A350s will focus on nine destinations across three regions. In the Middle East, Bahrain begins September 15, with increased frequency to twice daily in November. Kuwait begins on September 16, and Muscat starts on December 1.

In Asia, Mumbai and Ahmedabad will begin October 27 while Colombo service begins Jan. 1, 2025 on the fourth daily flight. Emirates also plans to deploy the new jet in Europe with service to Lyon and Bologna on December 1, along with a new route to Edinburgh on November 4.

Emirates says it will announce additional destinations and interior designs for the A350 in the coming months. Bookings for these initial routes are now open.

“The A350 will be a game-changer for Emirates, enabling us to serve regional points with superior operating efficiency and flexibility across the Middle East and GCC, West Asia and Europe,” said Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, at Emirates. “With the latest generation cabin products including more of our sought-after Premium Economy to more cities, top-notch in-flight entertainment technologies and an abundance of other customer-friendly features, the Emirates A350 builds on our long-standing commitment of investing in the very best customer experience in the sky. Flying the A350 to 9 cities in such a short span of time adds more premium cabin options and choice across geographies for our customers, and ensures we maintain our competitive edge and industry leading position.”

The carrier has 65 A350-900 aircraft on order with initial deliveries planned for later this summer.

Author
Recent Posts

Follow Ryan

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

Follow Ryan

Author

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

View all posts