Emirates takes delivery of first its A350-900 aircraft

Image credit: Emirates/ Supplied

Dubai’s Emirates has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft, one of the 65 ordered by the airline and will be delivered over the next few years.

The delivery of the aircraft, registered as A6-EXA, marks the first new aircraft type to join the Emirates fleet since 2008 when the airline took delivery of its first-ever A380.

The aircraft was officially handed over to Emirates on Monday. It embarked on its ferry flight from Toulouse at 16:00hrs local time, arriving at the carrier’s primary hub, Dubai International Airport (DXB), at 03:17hrs (GST), according to Flightradar.

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The widebody aircraft will officially enter commercial service in January, when it makes its debut flight to Edinburgh. It will then fly to eight other destinations in the Middle East, West Asia, and Europe.

Emirates are taking delivery of their first Airbus A350-900. Follow its journey from Toulouse to Dubai. https://t.co/P99kyGe1Dz pic.twitter.com/h7si0r47dC

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 25, 2024

Emirates had to push back the entry-into-service date of the A350 several times. The airline initially expected to take delivery of the aircraft in August, but it was pushed back to October.

The carrier, which relies on its vast global network and does not have any domestic routes, has a large fleet of aircraft on order, mainly for the still-uncertified Boeing 777X model. Emirates President Tim Clark criticised Boeing earlier in October over a cumulative six-year delay to the 777X.

The 777X and A350 are crucial to Emirates’ future wide-body fleet. The Dubai-based carrier has built its fleet around two main models: the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380 double-decker.

Emirates’ profit before tax for the first six months of 2024/25 rose by 2 per cent to Dhs9.7bn. The airline has been enjoying huge passenger flows through its hub in Dubai. It carried 26.9 million passengers between April 1 and September 30, up 3 per cent from the same period last year.