Inside Emirates' new Airbus A350: From 'cinematic' screens to faster Wi-Fi

Emirates has unveiled its first Airbus A350-900 aircraft at an event in Dubai, displaying the cabin features of the newest model to join its fleet of wide-body planes. The new plane will have faster Wi-Fi, a quieter cabin, Mercedes S Class-inspired leather seats in Business class and a “cinematic” in-flight entertainment system. The three-class configuration is split into 32 lie-flat seats in Business, 21 seats in Premium Economy and 259 in Economy. “On the A350, we have customised the cabin design and layout and added many individual features to delight our customers and help our crew deliver better service,” Tim Clark, Emirates airline's president, said at the Emirates Engineering centre, where the aircraft was displayed. “From the moment you step on-board the Emirates A350, you will notice the sense of space and light and see the many thoughtful features and luxury touches in all our cabins.” He added that after today, there are “64 more A350s” to be delivered to Emirates. “These will accelerate the next phase of growth as they run off the Airbus line and into our fleet … it offers Emirates the capacity and range that allows us to consider new destinations previously not considered viable,” Mr Clark said. In pictures shared on social media on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid , Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, was seen inspecting the facilities of the wide-body aircraft. The new model joins Emirates' all-wide-body fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, both of which it is the largest operator globally. Scheduled to enter service in January, the A350 will serve nine destinations across the Middle East, Gulf, West Asia and Europe, starting with its debut flight to Edinburgh on January 3. The Dubai-based airline will introduce its A350 aircraft on routes including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kuwait, Bahrain, Colombo, Lyon, Muscat and Bologne – with more to follow, it said. The new aircraft, registered as A6-EXA, is the first from an order of 65 A350s. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, inspected the aircraft at Dubai International Airport, taking a close look at its new design details and technologies, as well as the next-generation on-board products, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement. He was briefed on the airline’s A350 network plans by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports. Sheikh Mohammed also reviewed the aircraft’s eco-friendly design and reduced carbon footprint due to its innovative structure, which lowers fuel consumption, the media office said. Seventy per cent of the A350’s airframe is made of advanced materials, including 53 per cent composites, which are lighter and more robust than those used on previous aircraft designs. Emirates said its A350 will feature a high performance, new generation antennae that will significantly improve in-flight connectivity taking full advantage of ViaSat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network. Passengers can get faster Wi-Fi with uninterrupted connectivity across all destinations, including over the North Pole for flights going to the Americas. At an investment of more than $2 million per aircraft, passengers will see an improved user portal with a faster sign in for new users and a faster log-in for Skywards customers. Improved Wireless Access Points on board will mean more flyers can connect at the same time with the potential to get up to 10 times the current total aircraft bandwidth, the airline said. Emirates' in-flight entertainment system, ICE, has a new user interface that gives visually impaired passengers a better experience. It includes audio-cue navigation assistance, voice metadata feedback, touch and swipe gesturing support and a large selection of audio-descriptive content. The A350 will introduce a next-generation version of ICE with new features designed to improve the customer experience. Offering a “cinematic display”, Emirates said the system includes the “best picture quality on any aircraft” with 4K and 4K HDR, ultra-responsive touchscreens for seamless navigation and a vast media selection – up to triple the current content capacity. New features include “eye comfort mode” to reduce blue light exposure, the ability to skip credits and intros on videos, enhanced live TV, and simplified volume and brightness controls. An improved search function is complemented by iceMoments, a new way to explore content in a short form video format. Children will get a new interface, while parents will have seat-side parental controls. The plane features extra high ceilings and wider aisles in all classes.

Inside Emirates' new Airbus A350: From 'cinematic' screens to faster Wi-Fi

Entertainment system offers better experience for visually impaired passengers