Emirates Changes A350 Flying Plans

Emirates has announced changes to its Airbus A350 operations, postponing and bringing forward the jet’s debut across its international network.

The Dubai-based carrier will firstly move the planned introduction of the A350-900 on daily flights to Malta via Larnaca from 25 October 2026 to no earlier than 1 January 2027.

The decision flagged by Aeroroutes means the A350 will replace the Boeing 777-300ER several months after initial expectations; however, the schedule still remains subject to change, with the chance this A350 deployment is brought back again/

For operations linking Larnaca International Airport (LCA) and Malta International Airport (MLA), the airline sees flights EK109 and EK110 impacted. EK109 departs Dubai at 0735, arrives in Larnaca at 0940, and, after a brief stopover, departs at 1100 for a 1300 arrival in Malta; all times local.

The return flight EK110 is scheduled to depart Malta at 1440 with an arrival in Larnaca at 1800. The aircraft spends just shy of 90 minutes on the ground, with departure scheduled for 1925, before arriving the following morning back into the airline’s hub of Dubai at 0055.

Emirates also changes A350 flying to Ethiopia

Beyond the delayed A350 introduction, the Dubai-based carrier is also bringing forward the aircraft’s deployment to Ethiopia, with the previous plan for the A350-900 to replace the Boeing 777-200LR from 1 January 2027 scrapped in favour of 1 November 2026.

The revision means the new next-generation aircraft with updated cabins will begin flying to Ethiopia two months earlier than expected, under the revised passenger schedule, while retaining the daily EK723/724 flights.

An Emirates Airbus A350-900 arriving into Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL/ENGM) – Photo credits with thanks to Mitchul Hope on Flickr

EK723 is scheduled to depart Dubai at 0925 and arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport at 1245 local time. The return flight EK724 departs Addis Ababa at 1450 and is expected to reach Dubai at 2000. The Ethiopian news, paired with the pushback, still means the 312-seater A350-900 configuration will be deployed.

This configuration features 32 lie-flat business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 259 economy class seats at the back of the cabin. For Emirates, it’s the middle-ground Premium Economy, which represents a new era of customer choice and a bridge between its most basic and premium classes, but at a fraction of the price of lie-flat seats.