Emirates to resume Edinburgh flights with new A350 aircraft

Emirates has announced the initial destinations which will be served by the carrier’s forthcoming A350 aircraft, including the return of flights to Edinburgh.

Emirates’ fleet currently consists of just Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, but the first of 65 A350-900s will enter service in September, with ten of the aircraft set to be delivered by the end of March next year.

They will be configured with 32 seats in business class, 21 in premium economy, and 259 in economy, and will be used to serve short and medium-haul routes.

Bahrain will be the first destination to see the A350 from 15 September, with one of the carrier’s daily services featuring the aircraft, rising to a second daily flight from the start of November.

The A350 will also be deployed on selected flights to Kuwait from 16 September, Mumbai and Ahmedabad from 27 October, Bologna, Lyon and Muscat from 1 December, and Colombo from 1 January, 2025.

And Emirates has also announced the return of Edinburgh to its network, with the daily route set to be served by the A350 from 4 November.

The airline also said that more A350 destinations would be confirmed in the coming months “as new aircraft join its fleet”.

Emirates placed an order for 50 A350 aircraft in late 2019, with deliveries initially due to have commenced in May 2023. An order for an additional 15 of the aircraft was announced in November 2023.

The carrier’s A350s will be fitted with Thales’ Avant Up IFE system, with features including enhanced live TV provision, Optiq 4k QLED HDR displays, two Bluetooth connections, built-in wifi enabling passengers to pair personal devices, and support for up to 60 watts USB-C to fast-charge personal devices.

Emirates selects next-generation Thales Avant Up IFE system for A350s

Commenting on the news Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer, said:

“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.

“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 nine 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.”

emirates.com