Emirates Receives First Airbus A350 Delivery

On 25 November, Emirates took delivery of its first new aircraft type in 16 years when A6-EXA, an Airbus A350-900, arrived in Dubai.

This aircraft is the first of 65 of the type on order with the airline and marks the latest stage in the fleet renewal process for the carrier.

Emirates A350 Delivery

Delivery route, courtesy FlightRadar24

The delivery ceremony took place at Toulouse, France, where the aircraft had been built and tested.

Enthusiasts had enjoyed seeing the aircraft being painted, and then put through its paces over recent weeks.

The delivery flight saw the aircraft leave Toulouse and route north, entering UK airspace to satisfy certification requirements, before journeying to Dubai International Airport, where it landed at 3.17am on 26 November.

A blend of regular jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was used for the delivery flight.

Where Will Emirates’ A350 Fly To?

Emirates will add the final touches to its brand new Airbus A350 over the coming month, as well as conducting crew training to ensure it is ready to enter service.

The first destination Emirates will serve with its A350s will be Edinburgh, from 3 January. This route was recently relaunched by the airline, using Boeing 777 equipment temporarily.

The Emirates A350 will be rolled out to 8 other destinations including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kuwait, Bahrain, Colombo, Lyon, Muscat and Bologna, with more destinations to follow.

Emirates flight EK 23 will depart Dubai at 14:50hrs and arrive in Edinburgh at 19:05hrs, local time. The return flight, EK24, will depart Edinburgh at 20:40hrs and arrive in Dubai at 08:05hrs, the following day.