Emirates (EK, Dubai International) has taken delivery of its first A350-900. A6-EXA (msn 684) was handed over to the airline at Toulouse Blagnac on November 25, 2024 and has since ferried to Dubai. The aircraft is the first of sixty-five A350s the airline has ordered.
Emirates called the handover an “important fleet milestone" and said it was the first new aircraft type to join the carrier since 2008. The aircraft is configured for up to 312 passengers, including 32 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 259 economy class seats.
ADS-B flight tracking data indicates A6-EXA departed Toulouse late in the afternoon on November 25 and landed in Dubai in the early hours of the following morning. The flight operated as EK7350.
Emirates had initially anticipated putting its first A350 into revenue service in September 2024. This was later pushed back to November 2024 due to ongoing delivery delays from Airbus. It was deferred again until December 2024.
The airline then moved the debut to mid-January 2025, but after the delivery, decided to accelerate it to January 3, when the aircraft begins flying to Edinburgh.
Under current plans, the A350-900 will begin operating some or all of the frequencies on the following routes from the following dates:
- Dubai-Edinburgh from January 3, 2025
- Dubai-Ahmedabad from February 1, 2025
- Dubai-Bahrain International from February 1, 2025
- Dubai-Kuwait from February 1, 2025
- Dubai-Mumbai International from February 1, 2025
- Dubai-Colombo International from March 1, 2025
- Dubai-Lyon St. Exupéry from March 1, 2025
- Dubai-Bologna from March 15, 2025
Editorial Comment: The article updates with seat configuration in the second paragraph, debut plans in the fifth paragraph. - 27Nov2024 - 11:41 UTC