Emirates Introduces Advanced Airbus on UK Gatwick Connection

Emirates has started flying its new Airbus A350 aircraft to London Gatwick for the first time, according to Travel Weekly. The service began on February 8, 2026, making Gatwick the second UK airport to receive the airline's newest plane type after Edinburgh.

The A350 operates as Emirates' fourth daily flight to Gatwick. This means the airport now has three Airbus A380 superjumbo services plus one A350 service every day. The new flight takes off from Dubai at 5:05 PM and lands at Gatwick at 8:50 PM. The return journey leaves Gatwick at 11:55 PM and arrives back in Dubai at 11:00 AM the next day.

With this addition, Emirates now runs 146 weekly flights to the UK. Of those, 90 flights go to London across three airports. The airline serves Heathrow with six daily flights, Gatwick with four, and Stansted with two.

The new evening departure offers an additional time option for travelers. Business passengers can complete work in Dubai before taking the flight. The late night return from Gatwick provides more time in London for passengers.

The A350-900 flying this route carries 298 passengers in a three-class configuration. It has 32 business class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 layout, which means every passenger gets aisle access. There are 28 premium economy seats and 238 economy seats. All business class seats lie flat for sleeping.

This marks the first time Gatwick passengers can fly in Emirates premium economy. The cabin sits between business and economy class. Passengers get wider seats with more recline, extra legroom, and better food service than standard economy.

The aircraft brings several new features to the route. Business class passengers can charge their phones wirelessly on the side table. All seats have electric window blinds controlled with a button. When closed, the blinds show Emirates' ghaf tree design.

Every seat has a high-definition entertainment screen. Business class gets 20-inch screens. Premium economy and economy passengers have 13.3-inch screens. All screens are 4K quality and respond quickly to touch.

The A350 cabin has a color scheme with light blue fabric seats and bronze armrests in economy class. The plane has higher ceilings and wider aisles. Economy passengers get a new six-way adjustable headrest.

Emirates first took delivery of the A350 in November 2024. This was the airline's first new aircraft type since 2008. Before this, Emirates only flew Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.

Edinburgh was the first UK city to get A350 service when Emirates launched flights there in January 2025. The plane now flies to many destinations worldwide including Lyon, Bologna, Oslo, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Mumbai, Colombo, and Hangzhou.

The aircraft uses 25% less fuel than older planes of similar size. This also means 25% less carbon emissions. The cabin is one of the quietest among twin-engine wide-body planes.

Emirates has ordered 65 A350s in total. The airline will receive these planes over the next few years. Some will be set up for longer flights of up to 15 hours from Dubai.

The A350 gives Emirates more flexibility in planning routes. It can serve smaller airports that cannot handle the large A380. The plane is designed for routes with medium passenger demand.

For Gatwick, the A350 brings modern aircraft technology to a route that already had A380 service. The airport now has both the Airbus A380 and the newer A350 model operating to Dubai.

Gatwick becomes the second UK destination for the A350 after Edinburgh. The aircraft is expected to serve more European and UK cities as Emirates receives additional planes from Airbus.

The A350-900 is part of Airbus's twin-engine wide-body aircraft family. The plane can fly up to 8,000 nautical miles without refueling.

The aircraft's body is made from carbon fiber composite materials. This makes the plane lighter than older aluminum aircraft.

Emirates took delivery of its first A350 in November 2024 from the Airbus factory in Toulouse. The plane entered commercial service in January 2025 on the Edinburgh route.

The Gatwick route is part of Emirates' deployment strategy for the A350 fleet. The airline is using the aircraft on regional and long-haul routes.

Emirates has committed to purchasing 65 A350-900 aircraft from Airbus. Deliveries will continue over several years.

Gatwick Airport is the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow. The airport has one main runway and two terminals. Emirates operates from the South Terminal.

The Dubai airline operates flights to eight UK cities. Besides the London airports, Emirates flies to Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. The airline uses a mix of A350s, A380s, and Boeing 777s across these routes.

The evening timing of the new A350 service adds another departure option beyond the morning and afternoon flights. For passengers connecting through Dubai to other destinations, the flight provides additional connection times to Asia and Australia.