A couple hundred Emirates passengers received a special treat on Wednesday morning: They were the first to fly on the carrier’s brand new A350.
The plane operated on EK823/EK824 from Dubai to Dammam, Saudi Arabia and back as its first commercial flights.
The aircraft (A6-EXA) arrived in Dubai on 25 November and has been busy since, typically flying short hops at DXB and DWC for crew familiarization and training. Indeed, it flew a dozen such flights on Tuesday just before making the trip over to Dammam and eight more so far after returning from Saudi Arabia.
It is expected to continue flying the Dubai loops, as well as potentially swapping in for other short-haul markets as the carrier prepares for its official scheduled service entry. That is planned for 3 January on EK23 from Dubai to Edinburgh.
The Emirates A350 features an updated cabin, particularly with respect to the seating for business class passengers. It also includes significant updates to the inflight entertainment and connectivity suite throughout the aircraft.
Every seat will have a 4K HD screen, powered by the Thales AVANT Up offering. The screens all include a dual headset Bluetooth pairing option, as well as 60W USB-C charging. The IFE system will also include a new touchscreen call bell buttons for cabin crew service and the ability to view the inflight menu on screen.
The carrier holds orders for 65 A350s.
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