DALLAS — Today, Emirates (EK) has announced its first Airbus A350 destinations. EK’s A350s will serve short to medium-haul cities in the Middle East, West Asia and Europe, with Bahrain (BAH) as its inaugural destination.

The first A350 is scheduled to enter service on September 15, on the Dubai (DXB) to Bahrain (BAH) route. Flight EK839/840 to BAH will be followed by a daily flight to Kuwait (KWI), EK853/854, from September 16. 

The last route in the region will be EK866/867, from Dubai (DXB) to Muscat (MCT), starting on December 1.

West Asia, Europe Flights

In West Asia, the A350s will be deployed on Emirates flights to Mumbai (BOM) and Ahmedabad (AMD). Both of these flights, EK502/503 and EK538/539 will commence on October 27. Finally, starting on January 1, 2025, EK’s A350 will touchdown in Colombo (CMB) as flight EK654/655.

In Europe, the A350s will serve Lyon (LYS) and Bologna (BLQ), starting on December 1. Edinburgh (EDI) will be added to EK’s A350 network from November 4, 2024—more on EDI in a later post.

The airline plans to introduce its Premium Economy seats for the first time on flights to the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). EK plan to operate 10 new A350s by the end of March 2025.

Game Changer for Emirates

Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates said that the A350 will be a game-changer for the carrier. 

“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.

“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,” concluded Mr. Kazim.

Emirates A350 Order

Last year at the Dubai Airshow, the Dubai-based carrier added 15 more units to its backlog. Currently, EK’s backlog includes 65 A350-900s. The airline has not yet ordered the larger variant of the A350 amid engine concerns. 

Recently, at the end of April, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the design for the new passenger terminals at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).