Emirates launches inaugural A350 flight from Dubai to Edinburgh

The Dubai-based airline Emirates flew its brand new Airbus A350-900 commercially for the first time on a flight to Edinburgh.

By: Ryan

Published on: 8 February 2025, 9.50pm (GMT +8)

The brand-new Emirates A350 operated its inaugural flight to Edinburgh. Photo: Emirates

On January 3rd 2025, Emirates launched its brand-new Airbus A350-900 on an inaugural flight to Edinburgh Turnhouse Airport (EDI/EGPH) from Dubai International Airport (DXB/OMDB). The new A350, registered A6-EXA, is one of the 65 A350s that Emirates has acquired to enhance their fleet which, in the past, only consisted of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. The A350s are considerably better than the older 777-300ERs that Emirates still operates, which are less fuel-efficient and have older hard products onboard.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said:

“This marks a pivotal moment in Emirates' journey as we introduce the A350 into service. Our first Airbus A350 making its maiden journey to Edinburgh also underscores the strategic importance of the UK within our global network. The Emirates A350 offers the best of our latest inflight products, with new features and enhancements in every cabin. As we continue to expand our A350 fleet, we're not just adding new aircraft – we're setting new standards for global air travel.”

The A350 departed Dubai at 3.16pm local time and cruised at an altitude of FL400. The aircraft started descent at 6.40pm Edinburgh time and soon touched down on runway 24 of Edinburgh Airport. 

The Emirates A350 business class features a similar design to their A380 business class. Photo: Emirates

The Emirates' new A350-900 has a cabin consisting of 32 Business Class seats, 21 Premium Economy seats and 259 Economy seats. There are no First Class seats installed. The products are similar to its retrofitted Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, albeit being brand new. For Business Class, all 32 seats feature a new “S-Lounge” seat, inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S Class. There are also new lighting controls with 5 different streams of light. Other features also include a 4K 20" screen, loaded with Emirates famous IFE (Inflight Entertainment System) and lie-flat seats.

The premium economy cabin features plush leather seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. Photo: Emirates

For Premium Economy, there are spacious 19.5” wide leather reclining seats which recline up to 8”. It also comes with a good 40” of pitch giving passengers more legroom. Legrests and footrests are also available complemented with an 8-way adjustable headrests similar to the Economy Class Headrest. There is also a 13.3” 4K TV screen and a generously sized pillow and blanket. There will also be a complimentary amenity kit on longer flights. Finally for meals, there will be award-winning catering with generously-sized portions.

The Emirates A350 economy class seats feature comfortably padded seats. Photo: Emirates

Finally for Economy, there are spacious 18” seats with 32” pitch. It comes with the same TV screen as Premium Economy and the same headrest. The headrest can help passengers sleep with full neck support, helping passengers sleep better and eliminate the need for neck pillows. This can be extremely helpful for red-eye flights since most passengers will not be able to sleep well or even sleep on planes, especially in economy.

The inaugural Emirates A350 flight also follows the resumption of flights in November 2024 by Emirates from Dubai to Edinburgh and Scotland in general. There is also an A380 service to Glasgow which enhances connectivity from Dubai to Scotland and the areas around it. 

More A350s have come into service from Dubai to Kuwait and Bahrain. Other destinations like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Colombo, Lyon and Bologna will also be operated bt the A350 in the coming months.