Emirates Adds A350-900 “ULR” for Long-Haul Service

Emirates’ growing A350 fleet will feature a second configuration to support longer trips. In an update on its A380/777 retrofit program the carrier also shared that it expects to take five A350-900 “ULR” aircraft by the end of the year, allowing it to offer services to an expanded range of destinations from its Dubai hub.

Deploying our first long-range A350 to Adelaide is an exciting development and underscores the importance of Australia as a major eastbound anchor in our network. It also represents our commitment to delivering the best possible long-haul experience on our latest generation aircraft.

– Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer

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Among other tweaks, the A350 “ULR” configuration for Emirates will carry fewer passengers than the regular layout. Both planes will feature 32 business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout. The Premium Economy cabin will be one row larger on the ULR layout, with 28 seats instead of 21 on the original layout. Economy class will see 238 seats, down from the current 259 layout. Ultimately that should mean more legroom for coach travelers.

The carrier plans to launch commercial operations with the ULR version on 1 December 2025, serving Adelaide, Australia on the EK440/441 turn. The carrier also notes that if Airbus delivers the planes faster that schedule could move up.

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Singapore Airlines is the only other carrier to operate the ULR version of the A350-900, using the plane for its longest trips to the USA. The Singapore configuration is even lower density than what Emirates will fly, with 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats on board.

Also, it is not 100% clear that Emirates is planning to operate the true “ULR” configuration with the extra fuel capacity versus just an alternate interior layout and other performance improvements. A query to the carrier for confirmation is pending.

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Separately, Emirates also shared expected dates for the next tranche of destinations to see the retrofit cabin layouts with premium economy cabins on board:

• EK372/373 to Bangkok will operate with the refreshed A380 from 1 July 2025.
• EK380/381 to Hong Kong will operate with the refreshed A380 from 1 October, joining the retrofit 777s launching this summer.
• EK077/078 to Nice will see Premium Economy cabins from 15 October.
• EK420/421 to Perth will see the refreshed A380 starting 26 October.
• EK143/144 to Madrid will enjoy an enhanced Boeing 777 from 15 October.
• EK346/347 to Kuala Lumpur will operate with a retrofitted Boeing 777 from 15 October.
• EK043/044 to Frankfurt is set to receive the Emirates Boeing 777 from 15 December.
• EK396/397 to Phuket will see the upgraded Boeing 777 from 1 December.

All the start dates are subject to change as the retrofits progress, though Emirates notes it is more likely they’ll happen sooner than scheduled, not later, as the program is running smoothly so far.