With more Airbus A350-900 entering the Emirates fleet the aircraft is becoming the backbone to many of the airline’s medium haul operations. The list of destinations served by the A350-900 will increase by one in October when Emirates starts flying it to Nairobi, Kenya.
In this post:
- A Cabin Upgrade For Dubai Nairobi Flight EK717
- How Will The Onboard Passenger Experience Change?
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A Cabin Upgrade For Dubai Nairobi Flight EK717
To the untrained eye it’s just an aircraft swap, to the frequent flyer this is a big deal. Emirates is finally upgrading the onboard product it offers passengers on flights between Dubai and Nairobi by introducing the Airbus A350-900 on route EK717.
The date for the aircraft switch will be October 25th 2026. That’s when Emirates will finally introduce its newest aircraft type on EK717 and EK718.
Currently this route and flight is operated using exclusively Boeing 777 aircraft with a prior generation setup.
How Will The Onboard Passenger Experience Change?
Passenger experience will massively change for passengers in both Business and Economy Class.
The change will be all the more tangible in Business class where shifting from the older generation of Boeing 777s to the Airbus A350-900 means finally bidding farewell to the central seat and window seats with no direct aisle access.
All 32 Business Class seats have now direct aisle access with the new 1-2-1 layout. For comparison the older generation Boeing 777 Business class featured 42 seats in a rather outdated 2-3-2 layout.
That meant that passengers sitting by the window or in the central seat had to climb over their neighbors to get to the aisle. That’s fine during the day but during night flights it could be a challenge, especially with some mobility impairments in play.
There won’t be any more First Class seats on flight EK717 however, there will be Premium Economy, which is Emirates’ newest product, in a 2-3-2 layout.
Finally Economy Class has one seat less per row, which ensures greater space for each passenger. That’s because Emirates has opted for the 3-3-3 Airbus A350-900 cabin rather than mimicking the Boeing 777-300ER setup which features 10 abreast (3-4-3).
P.S. on a personal note, Nairobi was my very first layover as an Emirates flight attendant 15 years ago.