Emirates finally receives first of 65 A350s
Emirates is set to take delivery of its inaugural A350 later today, with the aircraft shortly set to embark on its ferry flight from Toulouse to Dubai. The addition of A6-EXA marks the first new aircraft type to join the Emirates fleet since the addition of the A380 in 2008.
Having been officially handed over this morning, the A350 will make its way from Airbus’ Toulouse site to Dubai International Airport using a blended SAF mix. Once in Dubai, it will receive its finishing touches at Emirates Engineering before being formally unveiled later this week. The A350 will officially enter commercial service in January, making its debut flight to Edinburgh.
As announced in May 2024, the “highly anticipated return to the Scottish capital” – currently served by the A380 – will be served by an A350-900 in a three-class configuration.
Having ordered an additional 15 A350-900s during the 2023 Dubai Airshow (taking its total A350 commitments to 65), Emirates had expected its first unit to join its fleet in August 2024, with the aircraft set to enter service in September. However, although the airline indicated at the time its deliveries would run until “early 2028,” it is unclear whether ongoing delivery delays may disrupt this projection.
“Just as the A380 established itself at the heart of Emirates operations, we are equally proud of what the A350 will do in the years to come,” explained Airbus chief commercial officer and head of Airbus International Christian Scherer. In November 2023, Emirates airline and group chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum added: “We plan to deploy our A350s to serve a range of new markets including long-haul missions of up to 15 hours flying time from Dubai”.
