Emirates Defers First Airbus A350 Service Due to Aircraft Delay

Dnata ground crew oversee the unloading of containers from the tail freight hatch of an Airbus A380-800 aircraft, operated by Emirates, onto a DHL truck, as it stands at Terminal 3 of Heathrow Airport in London, U.K., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. Emirates, the world's largest buyer of Airbus A380 aircraft, is exploring engine options for a batch of 50 additional superjumbos, handing Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc an opportunity to unseat a General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney joint venture that powers the existing jets.

(Bloomberg) -- Emirates said its planned service to destinations in the Middle East, India and parts of Europe with a new fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft will be deferred because of aircraft delays.

The world’s largest international airline will start deploying the Airbus widebody aircraft starting early November to Edinburgh, as well as Bahrain and Kuwait later that same month. Destinations including Mumbai, Muscat, and Lyon in France will follow from the start of the year.

The airline had said in May that it planned to enter the A350 into service in September with the Bahrain route, with 10 of the advanced aircraft set join the fleet by the end of March next year. Emirates has kitted out the jetliner in a three-class configuration that includes business class, premium economy and economy seats.

“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,” Emirates said.

The announcement comes in the same week that Airbus said it’s cutting back its aircraft delivery target for this year and delaying a planned expansion of monthly build rates for its smaller A320 model, citing strained supply chains. Emirates ordered more of the larger A350 model last year at the Dubai Air Show, seeking to complement its fleet of large aircraft that’s built around the out-of-production A380 jumbo and the Boeing Co. 777.

A successor to the the 777, called the 777X, is also delayed because of certification issues, and Emirates has said it aims to get the plane in mid 2025. The company has ordered more than 100 units of that jet, making it the model’s biggest operator.

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