Emirates is doubling its A350 service to top South Asian holiday spot

Second daily Airbus A350 flight starts on August 8, replacing a Boeing 777 service

Last updated: July 08, 2026 | 11:28

2 MIN READ

An Emirates Airbus A350 parked at the Dubai Airport tarmac.

Emirates

Dubai: Dubai's flagship airline, Emirates, announced Wednesday plans to launch a second Airbus A350 aircraft service to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The service on popular route will launch on August 8, giving Dubai - Colombo travellers more opportunities to sample the airline's Premium Economy service.

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The new deployment will see Emirates replace the Boeing 777 currently operating flight EK648/649 with an Airbus A350. Emirates currently operates four daily services between Dubai and Colombo using a mix of Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

The move comes as Emirates continues to expand the rollout of its Airbus A350 fleet across its network. The airline first introduced the A350 on the Colombo route in March 2025, marking the debut of its Premium Economy cabin in Sri Lanka.

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Flight timings

The new Airbus A350 will operate flight EK648, departing Dubai International Airport at 4.10pm and arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo at 10.10pm.

The return flight, EK649, will leave Colombo at 2.55am and arrive in Dubai at 5.50am. All timings are local.

Along with flight EK654/655, the additional service will offer passengers more flexibility when choosing flight times while increasing the number of Premium Economy seats available on the route.

Emirates expands Premium Economy service to more cities

New aircraft

The Airbus A350 is the newest aircraft type in Emirates' all-widebody fleet.

The aircraft features updated cabin interiors, wider aisles, higher ceilings, faster Wi-Fi connectivity and 4K entertainment screens across all cabin classes. The inflight entertainment system is available in multiple languages, including Tamil and Sinhala.

Emirates now operates three non-stop daily flights between Dubai and Colombo, in addition to one daily service via Malé.

This year also marks 40 years since the airline began operating flights to Colombo. Today, Emirates connects the Sri Lankan city to almost 140 destinations through its global network, supporting travel, tourism and trade between the two markets.

Dhanusha Gokulan

Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. Known for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. With nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games.

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