Emirates will deploy its Airbus A350 on the Dubai-Durban route from March 1, 2027, bringing its Premium Economy cabin to all three of its South African gateways, the airline said in a statement on Friday.

The A350 will operate the daily EK 775/776 service. Emirates said the aircraft will bring its latest in-flight experience to KwaZulu-Natal province, in addition to introducing its newest cabin to Durban.

Emirates launched Premium Economy in Cape Town and Johannesburg in September 2025. The airline said demand for the cabin has stayed consistently high over the past 12 months, driven equally by leisure and corporate travellers. It did not publish load factor figures.

Emirates said a significant share of travel to and from Durban consists of people visiting friends and family abroad, with passengers connecting via Dubai to destinations including Thailand, Indonesia, India, France, and the United Kingdom. The airline said these passengers will now be able to travel the whole journey in Premium Economy.

Afzal Parambil, Emirates’ Regional Manager for Southern Africa, said South Africa “remains an anchor of our African network”. He said the deployment reflects the airline’s commitment to the country and its aim to offer customers more choice, connectivity, and comfort.

According to Emirates, the A350’s Premium Economy cabin is laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. Seats offer extra legroom and recline, in-seat charging, and a 13.3-inch personal entertainment screen. Premium Economy passengers at King Shaka International Airport will have a dedicated check-in counter and priority boarding, a 35 kg checked baggage allowance, and 10 kg of carry-on baggage, the airline said.

Business Class on the aircraft has a 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access and fully lie-flat seats, while Economy Class has a new colour scheme and ceiling design, according to Emirates. Every seat is equipped with the airline’s ice inflight entertainment system, which offers more than 6,500 channels of content and Bluetooth headphone pairing, the airline said.

Emirates describes itself as the world’s largest international airline. The release describes the A350 as the newest aircraft type in its all-widebody fleet.

Source: PR