Emirates defers planned A350 services to Middle East and Europe amid jet delivery delays

Emirates Airline, the world's biggest long-haul carrier, has said that it is postponing its deployment of new Airbus A350 aircraft because of delivery delays from the European plane maker, forcing schedule changes in the routes.

The delay pushes back the A350's debut by nearly two months: Edinburgh will now become the first route to be served with the aircraft from November 4, unchanged from the original announcement, replacing Bahrain, which was supposed to start on September 15, Emirates said.

“Once we begin receiving our A350s, we will expedite their entry into service as quickly as possible and will work hard to minimise the impact of the delays,” an Emirates representative told The National on Saturday.

Aside from Bahrain and Edinburgh – one of nine destinations Emirates said in May that the A350s will initially serve – Kuwait, Muscat, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lyon and Bologna have been deferred because of delivery delays, it said.

“There are no changes to flight frequencies to these destinations, only a change in the type of aircraft operating on the route,” the representative said.

Toulouse-based Airbus revised its aircraft delivery downwards with plans for about 770 commercial aircraft handovers, down from a projection of 800.

The Airbus A350 jets are central to Emirates' long-term strategy. With them, the airline aims to serve ultra-long-haul destinations in the US, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand – all up to 15 hours of flying time from Dubai – following the initial launch of the wide-body jets on mainly regional routes.

Emirates has 65 Airbus A350-900 aircraft on order, deliveries of which were supposed to start in August and through to the next three and half years.

The aircraft type can accommodate 300-350 passengers in a standard three-class configuration, and flies efficiently on everything from short-range segments to ultra-long-range routes of up to 18,000km non-stop.

The move will also replace the bigger Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s currently on these routes, freeing them up to serve demand on destinations that require larger capacity.

Before the latest delays, Emirates had received assurances from Airbus that it will deliver its A350 aircraft on time in August. The airline industry has long aired concerns about delayed jet handovers by plane makers.

Airbus declined to comment on the reasons and delivery timelines for Emirates’ delayed A350s, referring The National to its announcement on Monday, when it said it was facing “persistent specific supply chain issues mainly in engines, aerostructures and cabin equipment” on its commercial aircraft.

Other notable Airbus customers have already expressed their concerns over the last couple of months regarding the delivery delays.

Antonoaldo Neves, chief executive of Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, told The National in May that compensation from plane makers for delayed deliveries does not make up for how the shortage of seats affects passenger service.

The airline is due to receive about 15 Airbus and Boeing aircraft in 2024, which are already late by between six months and a year.

Saudi Arabia's budget airline Flyadeal, meanwhile, does not expect the delays to affect its ability to expand, but it does make it more difficult to plan ahead, chief executive Steven Greenway told The National in March.

“You want to have a slew of aircraft being delivered before the peak season in summer because you'll make money on them straight away and off you go to the races,” Mr Greenway said.

The Airbus delays have also affected Royal Jordanian, which had already grappled with the Israel-Gaza war that has dampened bookings in the first quarter of 2024, chief executive Samer Majali told The National in March.

The Amman-based airline has also been affected by “major delays” of six to 10 months by Airbus, particularly regarding deliveries of its A320neo and A321neo aircraft, which have hindered its plans to phase out the classic version of the narrow-body jets, he said.

“Emirates remains committed to operate our A350s as soon as possible to offer our customers the latest signature cabin experiences and continue with our fleet and network expansion plans,” the Emirates representative said.

“We will be contacting passengers affected by the aircraft changes to provide them with alternative travel options.”