With more and more major airlines zeroing in on A350 aircraft to upgrade their fleet, Airbus 350-900 has become a ‘poster boy’ for modern aircraft in global aviation. While Air India’s brand new A350-900s are gearing up for long-haul journeys between India and USA, Emirates has announced the first set of destinations including Ahmedabad and Mumbai for its soon-to-be-delivered A350-900s. Notably, Singapore Airlines operates the biggest fleet of A350 aircraft, at present. With A350-900s in the fleet, Emirates Airlines will compete not only with Air India, but also Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines.
PC: Emirates
Emirates is awaiting the delivery of 65 A350-900s from Airbus in a phased manner. The first few A350s being scheduled to enter service in September 2024, Emirates unveiled its plans to deploy this advanced aircraft with Premium Economy for flights to Ahmedabad and Mumbai starting from October 27, 2024. Emirates is currently offering award-winning Premium Economy seats on its double-decker A380 flights to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Come October end, travelers to/from Ahmedabad would get a taste of Emirates’ Premium Economy on Airbus A350-900.
Most recently, IndiGo – an Indian airline with the largest share of the domestic market – ordered 30 A350-900 aircraft for its long-haul flying plans. As many as thirty A350-1000s (a larger variant of A350) will join the fleet of Air India as part of the multibillion-dollar deal with Airbus. Early this year, Delta Airlines and EVA Air inked a deal with Airbus for tens of A350-1000 aircraft. Japan Airlines and Virgin Atlantic operate flights to/from New York JFK with A350s. Etihad Airways is not an exception here. the Abu Dhabi-based airline uses A350-1000 to operate flights to/from Chicago, USA.
You may wonder why A350-900 aircraft is so hyped. It is a fuel-efficient, long-range, widebody plane with quieter engines and better aerodynamics. It comes with high ceilings, expansive overhead bins, wider seats, improved cabin pressure, and advanced cockpit systems. Unlike superjumbo A380s which not all airports can accommodate, A350s have the body made of lightweight composite materials, thereby reducing the aircraft weight and carbon footprint in the sky. Precisely, A350-900 offers elevated inflight experience in all travel cabins.
“Emirates A350, which is said to be a game changer, will have 21 Premium Economy seats, 32 Business Class seats (full-flat beds), and 259 seats in Economy. With another lot of ten A350-900 aircraft to be delivered in early 2025, Emirates Airlines will expand its A350 operations to more destinations in India, USA and other countries. Like Emirates A380s which have made a cut with premium passengers, A350s will surely provide top-notch experience in Premium Economy and on business class flights,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats, a leading international travel news & community portal.