“Cinematic” screens, seat upgrades, faster Wi-Fi: Emirates unveils first A350

Emirates unveiled its first Airbus A350-900 this week at an event in Dubai, marking its first new plane model since the A380, which was introduced in 2008.

The A350-900 is part of Emirates’ strategy to modernize and enhance its premium passenger services. The aircraft is fitted with next-generation cabins and seating, and promises a more luxurious and efficient flying experience for travellers.

The Emirates A350 features three cabin classes, accommodating 312 passengers in 32 next-gen Business Class lie-flat seats, 21 Premium Economy seats and 259 Economy Class seats.

“This aircraft sets the stage for Emirates to spread its wings farther by offering added range, efficiency and flexibility to our network, enabling us to meet customer demand in new markets and unlock new opportunities in the cities that we serve,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline & Group, in a press release. 

The 65 A350s joining Emirates’ fleet in the coming years fit into the airline’s broader plans to support Dubai’s “D33 Strategy,” which aims to transform the city into a pivotal hub in the global economy by expanding its connectivity and reach, the CEO said.

Apart from its newly delivered A350, Emirates operates two other aircraft types around the world to 140 destinations - the widebody Boeing 777 aircraft and the “double decker” Airbus A380 aircraft.

The A350’s introduction will enable Emirates to expand into new destinations globally, including mid-sized airports unsuited for larger aircraft, the company said.

The Emirates A350 will be delivered in two versions – one for regional routes and one for ultra-long-haul routes.

The airline plans to make its first scheduled commercial A350 flight to Edinburgh on Jan. 3, 2025.

In the months to follow, customers can experience the Emirates A350 in existing GCC points like Bahrain, Muscat and Kuwait, Lyon and Bologna in Europe, and Colombo, Mumbai and Ahmedabad in West Asia in addition to new routes that are up to 15 hours from Dubai – to be announced in 2025.

What’s new & different?

The Emirates A350 presents a “newly-designed, more comfortable” Economy Class seats, the airline said in a press release.

Economy customers will notice two distinct improvements to their seats.

Similar to the newest Emirates 777 and A380 aircraft, the Emirates A350 Economy Class seat has a new fabric in an uplifting and elegant light blue, with bronze-coloured armrests creating a sophisticated look.

Secondly, Emirates will soon introduce a new six-way adjustable headrest to Economy Class on the A350, allowing customers the option of sleep with full neck support.

Expected in early 2025, this new headrest promises to significantly improve the customer experience in Economy, eliminating the need for neck pillows.

A new Business Class

Business Class on the Emirates A350 will feature 32 leather “S Lounge seats,” inspired by the Mercedes S Class.

The A350 aircraft will feature new additions of wireless charging on the side cocktail table in Business, and in-seat lighting controls with five streams of light.

The 1-2-1 seat configuration in the A350 Business Class ensures a private, exclusive experience where customers can enjoy the latest iteration of the Emirates Experience including lie-flat seats, 4k ice screen, multiple sockets and charging ports including a wireless port, minibar, improved storage, inflight shopping and an abundance of food and beverage options.

Premium Economy

All 65 incoming Emirates A350s will feature Premium Economy Class, opening the product to a wider audience.

Premium Economy offers a travel experience similar to Business Class on many airlines, with spacious leather reclining seats with full leg and footrests and adjustable headrests.

It features in-seat charging points, a side cocktail table, a 13.3-inch TV screen, a generously sized pillow and blanket, complimentary amenity kits on select flights and a globally exclusive sparkling wine - Chandon Vintage Brut 2017.

The catering onboard features a selection of meals made with seasonal ingredients served on Royal Doulton chinaware, accompanied by Robert Welch cutlery wrapped in a linen napkin.

Onboard the A350, Premium Economy Class will have a maximum of 28 seats.

More space & storage

With extra high ceilings and wider aisles in all classes, the Emirates A350 is sleek yet spacious.

In the Emirates A350 Business Class cabin, the configuration is one seat by the left window, two seats in the middle, and one seat by the right window (1-2-1).

In Premium Economy, the configuration is two seats by the left window, three seats in the middle, and two seats by the right window (2-3-2).

In Economy Class, the configuration is three seats by the left window, three seats in the middle and three seats by the right window (3-3-3).

“With this configuration, all customers have easier access to the aisle,” Emirates noted.

The A350 galley area is notably spacious, offering Economy customers an area to stretch their legs and grab a complimentary snack on long haul flights.

Storage has been improved on the Emirates A350, with compartmentalized pockets and larger overhead storage bins.

Technology at every touch

On the Emirates A350, customers can now adjust their electric window blinds at the touch of a button.

The aerBlade dual blind system will feature in Business and Premium Economy Class offering two shaded options, and the aerBlade single blind systems will make a debut in Economy Class, with all blinds showing the Emirates Ghaf tree motif when closed.

Customers will also enjoy new touchscreen call bell buttons for cabin crew service, on the ice inflight entertainment screens.

Other features include the ability to instantly view your inflight menu on your screen, digital newspapers and magazines from around the world, five aircraft camera views and improved inflight live map experience, and 60-watt USB C charging in every seat, with the ability to pair two Bluetooth connections for personal headphones.

Next-gen Inflight Entertainment 

The Emirates A350 will introduce a next-generation version of the ice inflight entertainment system with a suite of features designed to enhance the customer experience.

Offering a "cinematic display" to customers, this includes the best picture quality on any aircraft with 4K and 4K HDR, ultra-responsive touchscreens for seamless navigation and a vast media selection—up to triple the current content capacity.

Customers will also enjoy handy new features like “eye comfort mode” to reduce blue light exposure, the ability to skip credits and intros on videos, enhanced live TV, and simplified volume and brightness controls.

An improved search function is complemented by iceMoments, a new way to explore content on ice in a short form video format. Kids will enjoy a new pictorially driven interface, while parents will appreciate the seat side parental controls for family-friendly settings.

Faster Wi-Fi

The Emirates A350 will feature a high-performance, new generation antenna which the airline says will “significantly improve inflight connectivity,” taking full advantage of ViaSat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network.

Customers will enjoy uninterrupted global connectivity across all destinations, including over the North Pole for flights going to the Americas.

At an investment of more than USD $2 million per aircraft, “customers will notice an improved user portal with a faster sign in for new users and a swifter log in for Skywards customers,” the airline said.

Improved Wireless Access Points (WAPs) onboard means more customers can connect at the same time with the potential to enjoy up to 10 times the current total aircraft bandwidth on average.

Online shopping

From 2025 onwards, customers on the Emirates A350 will be able to enjoy Duty Free shopping from their seat in a few taps.

EmiratesRED will offer an catalogue of luxury gifts on ice, where customers can shop online, create a basket and conveniently transition to their personal device to complete the checkout and payment process, including payment via ApplePay and G-Pay.

Inclusive, accessible travel

A new user interface on ice has been designed in partnership with Thales and advocacy groups for visually impaired customers, to ensure all customers have an intuitive, high quality inflight entertainment experience.

This includes features like audio-cue navigation assistance, voice metadata feedback, touch and swipe gesturing support and presents the large selection of audio-descriptive (AD) content available on ice.

Quieter cabins

The Emirates A350 is known as one of the most fuel-efficient large widebody aircraft, and also offers customers a substantial reduction in noise.

Emirates customers will notice a peaceful ambience and elevated comfort in the quietest twin aisle cabin of any aircraft, the airline says.

Food & wine

The same premium regionally-inspired cuisine will be available onboard the Emirates A350, alongside an impressive wine collection, exclusive Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot in Business Class and Chandon Vintage Brut 2017 in Premium Economy Class.

Chef crafted dishes and multi course meals are served in all classes, with dedicated nutritious meals for children.

Business Class customers will have their own minibar on the Emirates A350, which includes still and sparkling water, and two snack packs – one sweet and one savoury – as well as a new snack display area at the back of the cabin, where customers can come and grab fresh fruit, sandwiches and sweet treats anytime they like.

Premium Economy customers will have a snack service on long-haul flights and Economy Class customers will also be able to access complimentary snacks on long haul flights on a newly designed island in the galley area.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.