New Airbus A350 Flight: Emirates Scales Up London Service With 12 Daily Operations
Published on August 07, 2025
.webp)
Emirates has revealed plans to increase its presence in London to 12 flights a day next year with the addition of a fourth daily service to and from the city's Gatwick Airport (LGW). While the bulk of the UAE flag carrier's flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to the British capital serve Heathrow (LHR), Emirates has long been keen to tap into secondary markets at airports like Gatwick and Stansted.
Emirates is looking to cater to both business and leisure travelers with its extra round trip from Dubai to Gatwick, with the outbound flight departing in the early evening to allow passengers to have most of the day to themselves for work or leisure. Meanwhile, the return from Gatwick is an overnight affair that reaches Dubai in the late morning to give passengers the afternoon to get settled in the city.
Emirates Will Soon Have 12 Daily London Flights
Emirates A350 Business ClassPhoto: Emirates
As announced yesterday in a statement released by Emirates, the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier will add a fourth daily round trip to and from London Gatwick Airport starting on February 8, 2026. This rotation will make use of the airline's new Airbus A350-900 widebody twinjets, with the outbound leg, which is numbered as EK069, departing Dubai at 17:05 and landing in Gatwick at 20:50 local time.
After a three-hour turnaround, EK070 will leave London Gatwick Airport at 23:55 and touch down in Dubai at 11:00 the next day, an ideal time for both transit passengers and those for whom Dubai is their final destination. According to Emirates, "Gatwick is set to become the second UK destination to receive Emirates’ new A350 aircraft after Edinburgh," with the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier explaining that:
"For those traveling to Dubai, the service provides the ideal arrival time for customers to check in to their hotels and get a head start on their Dubai activities. Customers departing Dubai on the flight can make the most of their time in the city - finishing business meetings, enjoying extended shopping, or completing last-minute activities - before taking the evening flight to London."
What's It Like Onboard?
Emirates A350 Premium EconomyPhoto: Emirates
With the Airbus A350-900 being Emirates' newest passenger aircraft, the next-generation widebody twinjet is fitted with the widely revered Middle Eastern airline's latest cabin offering. This, as pictured above, includes the UAE flag carrier's new premium economy product, with spacious recliners laid out seven-abreast.
According to fleet data made available by ch-aviation, Emirates presently has eight Airbus A350-900 aircraft at its disposal with an average age of just 0.4 years old, and 47 more on order. Per aeroLOPA, these planes have a three-class configuration consisting of 32 business, 21 premium economy, and 259 economy seats, for a total of 312 passengers. However, this will change with the new Gatwick flights.
Indeed, Emirates notes that, while business class onboard the A350s operating the fourth-daily Gatwick rotation will retain the 32-seat business class cabin with four-abreast flatbeds in a 1-2-1 layout, there will be an extra row of premium economy seating. This will increase the capacity of this part of the aircraft to 28 guests, but reduce the economy section to 238 seats, giving it an overall capacity of 298.
Examining Emirates' Existing London-Bound Operations
Emirates A350 EconomyPhoto: Emirates
At present, scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Emirates is operating three daily round trips between Dubai International Airport and London Gatwick. In contrast to its upcoming fourth daily rotation, all of these use the Airbus A380, with various different seating configurations deployed.
While primarily associated with short-haul flights operated by low-cost and leisure airlines, London Stansted Airport (STN) in Essex also sees Emirates' widebodies make frequent appearances. At present, the UAE flag carrier operates two flights a day between Dubai and Stansted using its Boeing 777-300ER widebody twinjets.
Emirates is looking to cater to both business and leisure travelers with its extra round trip from Dubai to Gatwick, with the outbound flight departing in the early evening to allow passengers to have most of the day to themselves for work or leisure. Meanwhile, the return from Gatwick is an overnight affair that reaches Dubai in the late morning to give passengers the afternoon to get settled in the city.
Emirates Will Soon Have 12 Daily London Flights
Emirates A350 Business ClassPhoto: Emirates
As announced yesterday in a statement released by Emirates, the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier will add a fourth daily round trip to and from London Gatwick Airport starting on February 8, 2026. This rotation will make use of the airline's new Airbus A350-900 widebody twinjets, with the outbound leg, which is numbered as EK069, departing Dubai at 17:05 and landing in Gatwick at 20:50 local time.
After a three-hour turnaround, EK070 will leave London Gatwick Airport at 23:55 and touch down in Dubai at 11:00 the next day, an ideal time for both transit passengers and those for whom Dubai is their final destination. According to Emirates, "Gatwick is set to become the second UK destination to receive Emirates’ new A350 aircraft after Edinburgh," with the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier explaining that:
"For those traveling to Dubai, the service provides the ideal arrival time for customers to check in to their hotels and get a head start on their Dubai activities. Customers departing Dubai on the flight can make the most of their time in the city - finishing business meetings, enjoying extended shopping, or completing last-minute activities - before taking the evening flight to London."
What's It Like Onboard?
Emirates A350 Premium EconomyPhoto: Emirates
With the Airbus A350-900 being Emirates' newest passenger aircraft, the next-generation widebody twinjet is fitted with the widely revered Middle Eastern airline's latest cabin offering. This, as pictured above, includes the UAE flag carrier's new premium economy product, with spacious recliners laid out seven-abreast.
According to fleet data made available by ch-aviation, Emirates presently has eight Airbus A350-900 aircraft at its disposal with an average age of just 0.4 years old, and 47 more on order. Per aeroLOPA, these planes have a three-class configuration consisting of 32 business, 21 premium economy, and 259 economy seats, for a total of 312 passengers. However, this will change with the new Gatwick flights.
Indeed, Emirates notes that, while business class onboard the A350s operating the fourth-daily Gatwick rotation will retain the 32-seat business class cabin with four-abreast flatbeds in a 1-2-1 layout, there will be an extra row of premium economy seating. This will increase the capacity of this part of the aircraft to 28 guests, but reduce the economy section to 238 seats, giving it an overall capacity of 298.
Examining Emirates' Existing London-Bound Operations
Emirates A350 EconomyPhoto: Emirates
At present, scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Emirates is operating three daily round trips between Dubai International Airport and London Gatwick. In contrast to its upcoming fourth daily rotation, all of these use the Airbus A380, with various different seating configurations deployed.
While primarily associated with short-haul flights operated by low-cost and leisure airlines, London Stansted Airport (STN) in Essex also sees Emirates' widebodies make frequent appearances. At present, the UAE flag carrier operates two flights a day between Dubai and Stansted using its Boeing 777-300ER widebody twinjets.