Emirates Announces The Launch of Airbus A350 Operations to Nine Cities Worldwide

Emirates, the national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates is set to take the delivery of its first Airbus A350 this year. More than three months in advance, the airline has announced the operating schedule of the new widebody aircraft. In the coming months, the airline will be operating the Airbus A350 to nine cities across the globe.

Emirates: A350 Operations Launch

Emirates has 65 Airbus A350-900s on order. The first one registered as A6-EXA is under production at Toulouse with four other jets.

By the end of March 2025, the airline is aiming to receive deliveries of 10 Airbus A350s. With these jets, it will launch operations to nine cities. Details about these cities are as follows:

Inaugural Destinations

The Airbus A350 will enter into scheduled commercial service on 15 September 2024. Bahrain will be the launch destination. The Airbus A350 will replace the B777-200LR on EK839/840 frequency. Emirates operates three daily services between Dubai and Bahrain. From 1 November, 2 of these 3 daily flights will be operated by A350.

On 16 September 2024, the Airbus A350 will operate its maiden flight to Kuwait City. It will be replacing the B777-300ER on EK853/854 frequency. Furthermore, the airline will press A350 into Muscat operations from 1 December. The A350 will operate five times a week between Dubai and Oman, replacing the current Boeing 777 product.

In short, Emirates will launch the Airbus A350 to three international destinations in the Middle East, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat.

A350 Deployment in Other Parts of Asia

India and Sri Lanka play a crucial role in Emirates operations. There are some cities with higher yields, which require premium heavy aircraft deployment. Hence, Emirates has decided to start Airbus A350 services from two Indian cities.

Just before the start of the Winter Schedule, the airline will deploy the Airbus A350 to Mumbai and Ahmedabad. From October 27, the A350 will operate on EK502/503 frequency between Dubai and Mumbai. Currently, this flight is operated using a mix of B772 and B77W. Emirates already deploys the Airbus A380 to Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Other than Mumbai, it will start A350 operations to Ahmedabad on the same date, replacing the current B77L product. The A350 will operate daily on EK538/539 frequency.

Not just India, Emirates has announced one more destination in Sri Lanka. New Year 2025 will be even more happy for aviation enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, because from 1 January 2025, Emirates A350 will start operating at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. It will operate daily on EK654/655 frequency. This will be a new service, separate from the current three daily flights. Means Emirates will be operating four daily flights between Dubai and Colombo.

When Will Europe Get Emirates A350?

After three destinations in the Gulf and three destinations in the Indian subcontinent, let us have a look at the cities in Europe, which will get the Airbus A350 operations.

Edinburgh will be the first European city to handle the Airbus A350 of Emirates. Currently, the airline is not operating to the Scottish city. It suspended Edinburgh operations in 2020 after two years of operations. Now, from November 4, 2024, it will return to Edinburgh with the Airbus A350. The airline will share more information regarding the Edinburgh relaunch in the coming time.

From 1 December, the Emirates A350 will start services to France and Italy. Lyon will be the first French city to get the A350. It will operate daily between Dubai and Lyon replacing the current B777 product. In Italy, Bologna will get the A350 from December 1. It will operate six times a week to the Red City.

In short, three European destinations will be upgraded to Airbus A350 by the end of 2024. Edinburgh flights will be relaunched from November 4, with the Airbus A350. From December 1, Lyon and Bologne will become the second and third EU cities to get the new widebody aircraft.

More Destinations in Coming Time

The airline in a press release has said that with the induction of more Airbus A350s, it will announce more destinations. By the end of March 2025, it is aiming to have a fleet of 10 Airbus A350s. Currently, at Toulouse, five Airbus A350s are under production, as per data from planespotters.net. The first one, with registration A6-EXA, was spotted recently for the first time. The airline has 65 A350-900s on order. The kingdom has plans to connect Dubai trade to 400 cities worldwide.

Deputy President and CCO at Emirates, Adnan Kazim said that this aircraft will be a game-changer for the airline. It will provide superior efficiency and flexibility across the airline’s network. With the latest generation cabin product, Premium Economy cabin, and top-of-the-class IFE, the A350 aims to take the passenger experience to the next level. He added that in such a short period, the airline will be operating the A350 to 9 international destinations. This will ensure that Emirates maintains a competitive edge in the market.

Talking about the cabin, the Emirates A350 will sport 32 Business, 21 Premium Economy, and 259 Economy Class seats. It has selected Thales AVANT Up IFE for the A350 fleet. The airline aims to operate these jets in short and medium-haul networks. This is one of the reasons, why it has not included any North American or Australian destination in the A350 network.

Conclusion

Emirates is set to induct its first Airbus A350. The airline aims to have 10 A350s in its fleet by March 2025. With these aircraft, it will launch flights to 9 cities. This includes 3 cities in the Gulf: Bahrain, Kuwait & Muscat; 3 cities in the Indian subcontinent: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Colombo, and 3 cities in Europe: Edinburgh, Bologne, and Lyon. Emirates will deploy these jets on short and medium-haul routes.

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