Emirates outlines initial destinations for newly delivered Airbus A350

Home
»
Stories
»
2024
»
December

GLOBAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Global Industry News

Emirates outlines initial destinations for newly delivered Airbus A350

Policy

Airbus A380 | Airbus

By Sky Industry News

Dec 31, 2024

Airbus has confirmed that Emirates currently holds an order for 65 Airbus A350-900s. Initially, the airline expected to receive these aircraft starting in August 2024. However, production delays pushed the delivery of the first A350-900 to late November 2024.

Despite previous concerns about the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines powering the A350, Emirates has overcome these issues and celebrated the arrival of its new aircraft. Anticipation surrounds where Emirates will deploy its new A350s in 2025. According to Simple Flying's analysis of Cirium data, various routes are planned for next year.

Emirates plans to receive its remaining 64 Airbus A350-900s over three years, concluding in 2028. With a current production rate of five to six units per month, annual deliveries will vary. The airline intends to expand destinations as more aircraft join its fleet. In January 2025, only one route will be served by the A350s, increasing to nine by year-end.

Get the Newsletter

Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

"The Emirates A350 features three spacious cabin classes," states Emirates, highlighting their commitment to passenger experience and operational efficiency with this new model.

Flight Global reports that some of these aircraft will be configured for long-range missions with fewer seats and additional crew-rest areas.

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) in Scotland is set as the first destination for Emirates' A350 service starting January 3rd, 2025. This aligns with their strategy to use the aircraft on routes unsuitable for larger planes like Boeing 777s or Airbus A380s. The introduction aims at expanding into mid-sized airports globally.

Short-haul flights using the Airbus A350 are scheduled from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Kuwait and Bahrain beginning January 8th. These services follow test flights conducted in December.

Tom Boon from Simple Flying notes that adding short-haul routes implies imminent delivery of more aircraft since multiple schedules overlap with Edinburgh’s service schedule.

In February, Ahmedabad, Manama, Mumbai, and Kuwait City will join the list of cities served by Emirates’ new fleet. March will see Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ), Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS), and Muscat International Airport (MCT) added to this schedule.

The total number of cities welcoming Emirates' A350 in early 2025 stands at nine according to Cirium data and booking information from Emirates. This marks a significant expansion plan utilizing their latest fleet addition over several international routes within months after initial deployment.