Emirates has started taking deliveries of the 65 Airbus A350-900 widebody airliners the Gulf carrier has on order. The airline announced the first of the new arrivals on Wednesday as part of its plan to boost medium- and long-haul scheduled services from Dubai.

The flag carrier placed the big A350 order to support its broader plans to bolster Dubai’s latest Economic Agenda, which calls for more than 400 additional cities to have direct trade links with the emirate over the next decade. The new aircraft will operate from Emirates’ hub at Al Maktoum International Airport, which is part of the Dubai World Central development.

The Emirates A350-900s will carry up to 312 passengers and feature 32 business class seats, 21 in premium economy, and 259 in the economy section of the cabin. The airline is the first in the Middle East region to invest in Airbus’ latest HBCPlus satellite connectivity system.

Along with the rest of Airbus’ current-production aircraft, the A350 can operate with up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel and the airframer is looking to support a 100% blend by 2030. As of the end of October 2024, the manufacturer had secured more than 1,340 firm orders from 60 operators for the type.