Flagship UAE carrier Emirates has revealed the first destinations for its A350 aircraft starting in September 2024. Bahrain will be the first short- to medium-haul destination for the aircraft.
With 10 new A350s anticipated by March 31, 2025, Emirates expects to fly them to nine locations.
The first 10 Emirates A350s will have 32 next-generation Business Class seats, 21 Premium Economy seats, and 259 generously pitched Economy Class seats.
As the first Emirates A350s enter the fleet, customers will have more chances to try its Premium Economy product and next-generation Business Class cabins, especially on short and medium-haul routes in the Middle East and GCC, West Asia, and Europe.
Emirates Airline Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said, “The A350 will be a game-changer for Emirates, enabling us to serve regional points with improved operating efficiency and flexibility across the Middle East and GCC, West Asia, and Europe.”
“The Emirates A350 builds on our long-standing commitment to investing in the best customer experience in the sky with the latest generation cabin products, including more Premium Economy to more cities, top-notch in-flight entertainment technologies, and many other customer-friendly features,” the official stated further.
New aircraft with the airline’s latest cabins will serve these cities:
The Middle East/GCC
Emirates will launch its first A350 to Bahrain on the daily EK839/840 route on September 15. The second Bahrain service will begin on November 1 as A350 frequency increases.
One Emirates A350 will arrive in Kuwait on September 16 on the daily EK853/854 route. The A350 will begin serving Muscat’s daily EK866/867 on December 1.
In West Asia
The Emirates A350 will fly EK502/503 to Mumbai starting October 27.
The A350 will begin serving Ahmedabad’s daily EK538/539 on October 27. A350s will operate Colombo’s fourth daily route, EK654/655 starting January 1, 2025.
In Europe
Lyon will receive daily Emirates A350 service starting December 1.
The A350 begins serving Bologna on December 1. Edinburgh will return to Emirates on 4 November by A350. Details coming shortly. In the following months, Emirates will add destinations as new planes arrive.
Emirates Tops Region’s Fleet Orders
The airline has an order book of 200 aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2029, the largest in the region, according to figures published in a report by OAG, a data platform for the global travel industry.
The aircraft deliveries are slated between 2024 and 2029, with 15 jets expected this year. Emirates is followed by another UAE-based carrier, Air Arabia, with a total order book of 114, followed by Flydubai (113), Qatar Airways (112) and Etihad (100).
“Collectively, the ten largest airlines in the Middle East have a total order book of 795 aircraft, which is one of the largest in existence on a regional market basis,” OAG stated, as reported by Zawya.
“The majority of the new aircraft deliveries (58%) will be for network expansion, according to Airbus. The additional fleet could mean that around 107 million new seats will be added to the Middle East market by 2029,” the data platform continued further.
Emirates’ latest six-month results recorded a USD 2.7 billion profit, followed by Qatar Airways at USD 1 billion.
OAG’s industry report also highlighted that the entry of new airlines, as well as increased mobility and massive infrastructure developments, will lead to a “period of rapid growth and transformation” in the Gulf region.
“Airfares could also be lowered, as increased capacity and new entrants create a consumers’ market,” it concluded.