Middle Eastern carrier Emirates has unveiled the first batch of nine routes on which it will deploy its new Airbus A350-900 fleet.
Emirates has 65 of the type on order and it indicates the first will be operating on the carrier’s network from mid-September.
The first 10 jets will be configured with 32 business-class, 21 premium-economy, and 259 economy seats.
“All of these aircraft are earmarked to serve short- to medium-haul cities on the Emirates network,” the carrier states.
Emirates’ first A350 flights will focus on Middle Eastern and Asian destinations.
The Dubai-based carrier is to put the A350 into service to Bahrain from 15 September, and Kuwait the following day.
Indian cities Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be served from 27 October.
Emirates indicates Edinburgh will be the first European route for the A350, from 4 November. It will also open A350 flights to Lyon and Bologna from 1 December, and put the type on the Muscat route.
The airline will use A350s on some of its Colombo services from the beginning of next year.
Emirates expects the first 10 A350s to be introduced to its fleet by the end of March 2025. Deputy president Adnan Kazim says the aircraft will be a “game-changer” for the carrier, offering “superior operating efficiency and flexibility”.
