Emirates’ Airbus A350 Flies Passengers for the First Time

Updated: January 3, 2025, 2:00pm CST

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Inside Emirates’ New Airbus A350
Where Will Emirates’ New Airbus A350 Fly?
Final Thoughts

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It’s a big day for Emirates. The Dubai-based carrier’s first-ever Airbus A350 has entered service.

“Today marks a pivotal moment in Emirates’ journey as we introduce the A350 into service,” said Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer at Emirates.

The inaugural flight flight operated by A6-EXA from Dubai (DXB) to Edinburgh (EDI) touched down in the Scottish capital around 2:15 p.m. ET.

Here’s what we know about Emirates’ shiny new aircraft and when we might be able to fly it for ourselves.

Inside Emirates’ New Airbus A350

Today’s inaugural flight is capturing the attention of many. Why? For 17 years, Emirates’ fleet has been made up of only Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

For part of the inaugural flight, the aircraft was the most tracked in the world by users of FlightRadar24.

The first Emirates Airbus A350 flight — The most popular aircraft in the world today. Image Credit: FlightRadar24

Emirates’ third aircraft type, the Airbus A350-900, has a total of 312 seats spread across 3 cabin classes.

Notably, and much to the dismay of those who love flying in the ultimate luxury, Emirates’ Game Changer first-class suites won’t feature on the A350.

The business class cabin, which will be the most premium cabin on the jets, features 32 lie-flat S Lounge seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

Emirates Airbus A350 business class — Inside the business class cabin on Emirates New Airbus A350. Image Credit: Emirates

Their design and finish are almost identical to the seats you’ll find on Emirates’ retrofitted Boeing 777s, which also don’t feature privacy doors.

Emirates new business class on the retrofitted Boeing 777 — Business class seats on Emirates’ retrofitted Boeing 777s don’t have privacy doors either. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

Emirates’ new A350 also boasts the airline’s recently introduced premium economy cabin and seats, which are often described as the best in the world in terms of comfort, catering, and luxury design.

The cabin features 21 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.

Emirates Airbus A350 premium economy — There are 3 rows of premium economy on Emirates’ new Airbus A350. Image Credit: Emirates

Finally, the 259-seat economy cabin offers a “generous pitch” for the best comfort possible on long-haul flights. Frequent Emirates flyers will also notice a new light blue hue to the seats.

Emirates Airbus A350 economy — A new plane means a new design for Emirates’ economy cabin. Image Credit: Emirates

Technological enhancements were a priority for Emirates when designing the A350, including some nifty features unique to its new aircraft. These include wider aisles, 4K screens, and better Wi-Fi.

In fact, the airline is promising “uninterrupted global connectivity across all destinations, including the North Pole,” thanks to a combination of the world’s first next-generation antennae and ViaSat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network.

Elsewhere onboard, window shades in all cabins can be adjusted electronically, thanks to aerBlade’s blind systems.

A6-EXA is the first of a huge order of 65 Airbus A350-900 aircraft for Emirates. This is a significant change in the Emirates fleet, which has consisted of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft since 2008.

Hot Tip:

Emirates’ premium cabins are often described as some of the best in the world. Thankfully, with points and miles, you can experience them for yourself without breaking the bank. Check out the best ways to redeem Emirates Skywards miles for maximum value.

Where Will Emirates’ New Airbus A350 Fly?

After several delays, the jet’s first flight to Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI) finally took place on January 3, 2025.

While the exact dates for the aircraft’s next destinations are yet to be revealed, Emirates has confirmed the cities of Ahmedabad (AMD), Bologna (BLQ), Colombo (CMB), Kuwait City (KWI), Lyon (LYS), Manama (BAH), and Mumbai (BOM) for A350 flights.

Emirates also hinted that the aircraft will be deployed to new destinations for the airline, which will be announced later in 2025. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before the aircraft makes an appearance on one of Emirates’ routes to the U.S.!

Final Thoughts

It’s all change at Emirates, as the Dubai-based carrier has flown passengers on its new Airbus A350-900 for the first time.

Stay tuned for a full review of what it’s like to fly the jet in business class coming very soon.