On February 8, Emirates made history by flying the Airbus A350 to London Gatwick for the first time. It was the Gulf giant’s inaugural A350 service to the UK capital. The type now has two routes to the country, joining flights to Edinburgh. Writes Simple Flying in this report.
The A350’s arrival at Gatwick coincided with the start of four daily departures to the UK’s second-busiest airport. Emirates now has up to 13 daily flights to London and up to 21 daily services to the UK generally. These figures only relate to passenger operations.
Emirates’ fourth daily flight to Gatwick
The carrier has flown to Gatwick since 1987. Four daily services from Dubai are now available. According to Cirium Diio data, the frequency was available on two dozen occasions in the past, most recently in 2019, but has never been a regular occurrence—until now. Flightradar24 shows that the inaugural A350 flight was operated by the 0.4-year-old A6-EXM (not shown in the first photo). It took 7h 16m to Gatwick and 6h 3m back, arriving home 1h 1m early.
Currently, the 298-seat configuration is used, which has 32 seats in business, 28 in premium economy, and 238 in economy. Gatwick has a premium economy for the first time. From March 29, Emirates will switch to the 312-seat A350, which has 32 seats in business, 21 in premium economy, and 259 in economy.
The fourth daily service means fewer superjumbo flights. From February until March 28, only one double-decker will operate. The current plan is for half of the route’s flights to be on the A380 from March 29 until September 30. The type won’t fly to Gatwick in October or November. While subject to change, three daily A380 departures are planned from December 1.
Notice the 5:05 pm departure time from Dubai. This is Emirates’ new second-to-last flight of the day from Dubai to Europe, behind service to Istanbul Airport (5:45 pm), which is on the European side of the Bosphorus. More interesting is the 11:55 pm departure from Gatwick back to the UAE. This is the carrier’s latest flight from Europe back home.
| Frequency | Dubai To Gatwick Schedule In Mid-February; Local Times* | Gatwick To Dubai Schedule In Mid-February; Local Times** |
| Daily | 2:50 am-6:40 am (777-300ER) | 9:40 am-8:30 pm (777-300ER) |
| Daily | 7:40 am-11:40 am (A380) | 1:35 pm-12:40 am+1 (A380) |
| Daily | 2:25 pm-6:25 pm (777-300ER) | 8:25 pm-7:20 am+1 (777-300ER) |
| Daily | 5:05 pm-8:50 pm (A350-900) | 11:55 pm-11:00 am+1 (A350-900) |
| * Shown in Simple Flying’s new time format | ** Shown in Simple Flying’s new time format |
What Emirates says about the development
Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates’ vice president in the UK, commented about the latest development to Simple Flying. “The UK has played a very special role in the introduction of the Emirates A350. While Edinburgh was the first global destination to be serviced by the all-new A350 following its launch in January 2025, Gatwick is the first London airport to welcome the aircraft.”
Al-Azeeby reiterated the importance of the country and London in its overall operation. Cirium shows that the UK has the carrier’s second-largest number of flights after India. Of course, the UK provides critical passenger and freight feed, without which many of the airline’s other routes would not be feasible.
“The UK is one of Emirates’ most important global markets, and London will continue to play a central role in our overall network. Gatwick is a key growth market for us. The launch of our fourth daily service marks a significant milestone, and gives customers the opportunity to experience our newest aircraft from London, including our premium economy cabin.”
Emirates now has up to 21 daily UK flights
The carrier serves eight UK airports, more than elsewhere, except the US (12) and India (nine). It flies to Birmingham (two daily A380/777-300ER), Edinburgh (daily A350-900), Gatwick (four daily A350-900/A380/777-300ER), Glasgow (daily A380; the return of a second daily service has been speculated), Heathrow (six to seven daily A380/777-300ER), Manchester (three daily A380), Newcastle (daily 777-300ER), and Stansted (two daily 777-300ER).
Up to 21 daily departures will exist this year. While that frequency was available on 15 dates in 2019 and early 2020, it’ll be the first time it has been available regularly. It is not just because of Gatwick’s higher offering. It is also because of the temporary rise in Heathrow’s services, with seven daily departures on all days except Fridays through March 28.
