Emirates expands A350 and Boeing 777 rollout with new daily flights to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town

Emirates will continue rolling out its retrofitted Boeing 777 and new A350 aircraft to key destinations across Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia, bringing Premium Economy and its latest onboard products to more cities across its network.

The airline confirmed it will deploy its A350 on new daily services to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town, adding extra frequencies to meet anticipated summer travel demand while offering customers enhanced connectivity and an elevated onboard experience.

Customers will experience Emirates’ award-winning Premium Economy cabin, featuring extra legroom, enhanced amenities, elevated dining and updated interiors.

By July 1, the airline will operate its Premium Economy-equipped retrofitted A380, Boeing 777 and A350 aircraft on more than 84 routes, reinforcing its strategy of delivering a consistent premium experience across its global network.

Additional Emirates flights to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town

From June1, Emirates will introduce a second daily service between Dubai and Copenhagen. A third daily service between Dubai and Phuket and a third daily to and from Cape Town will come into effect from July 1.

All three routes will be operated by the airline’s latest A350 aircraft, featuring Premium Economy alongside the newest Business and Economy Class cabins.

From June 1, flight EK153 will depart Dubai for Copenhagen at 2.50pm, arriving at 7.45pm. The return service, EK154, will depart Copenhagen at 9.35pm, arriving in Dubai at 5.55am the following day.

The service is timed to provide seamless onward connections via Dubai to East Asia, including Bangkok, Bali, Manila, Tokyo Haneda and Phuket, as well as Colombo and Male.

New connections to African cities such as Nairobi and Entebbe are also introduced, while passengers from Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Delhi and Bangalore will benefit from improved connectivity to the Danish capital.

From July 1, Emirates’ EK390 will depart Dubai for Phuket at 10.40pm, arriving at 8.10am the following day, with EK391 departing Phuket at 10am and arriving in Dubai at 1.05pm.

The additional service supports early morning arrivals for travellers connecting from Europe, including Manchester, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Frankfurt, as well as Kuwait and Bahrain. It also enables convenient onward connections from Phuket to European and Middle Eastern destinations including Madrid, Munich, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Edinburgh, Zurich and Amman.

On July 1, EK778 will depart Dubai at 10.25am, arriving in Cape Town at 6.05pm, with EK779 departing Cape Town at 8pm and arriving in Dubai at 7.25am the following morning.

The third daily frequency offers optimised connections to and from London, Dublin, Mumbai, Brussels, Australasia and key Asian markets, serving both leisure and corporate demand.

Emirates said its double daily Cape Town service has recorded consistently high load factors over the past year, particularly during peak periods, with inbound demand from the GCC continuing to grow and outbound traffic to Europe and the US East Coast remaining strong.

A350 and Premium Economy expansion

The airline will also operate its A350 aircraft to Rome from March 29 and to Taipei from May 1. Planned Premium Economy expansions include:

Europe and North America

• Barcelona and Mexico City: EK187/188 will operate with a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER from February 1, while EK255/256 between Barcelona and Mexico City will operate daily with a Premium Economy retrofitted three-class Boeing 777-200LR from February 15
• Rome: EK099/100 will operate daily with A350 aircraft from March 29
• Copenhagen: A second daily A350 service launches from June 1 on EK153/154

Asia

• Cochin: From January 29, two weekly services on EK530/531 will operate with a retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR
• Karachi: From March 1, a retrofitted three-class Boeing 777-200LR will operate daily on EK606/607
• Taipei: Retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR aircraft will operate on EK386/387 from March 15 until April 30, with A350 aircraft taking over from May 1
• Phuket: A third daily service launches from July 1 on EK390/391

Australia

• Brisbane: From March 29, daily EK430/431 flights will be operated by a retrofitted four-class Boeing 777-300ER, complementing the retrofitted A380 service introduced last year

Africa

• Addis Ababa: From March 1, the retrofitted three-class Boeing 777-200LR will operate daily on EK723/724
• Cape Town: A third daily Dubai–Cape Town flight, announced at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, will operate with an Emirates A350 from July 1, 2026

Middle East

• Basra: The Thursday EK947/948 service will transition to a retrofitted four-class Boeing 777-300ER from January 29
• Kuwait City: EK859/860 will operate with a retrofitted Boeing 777 from February 1 until April 30, transitioning to an A350 from May 1
• Tehran: From March 29, daily EK979/980 services will operate with a retrofitted four-class Boeing 777