On Wednesday 1 July 2026 Emirates operated the Airbus A350-900 on its daily second flight EK181/2 between Dubai (DXB) and Brussels (BRU), replacing the regular Boeing 777-300ER. It was the first time that the United Arab Emirates’ airline operated a flight between the two cities with its newest widebody aircraft. Emirates will continue operate the Airbus A350-900 on its second daily flight between Dubai and Brussels until 1 August 2026.
Emirates flight EK181 DXB-BRU
On Wednesday 1 July 2026, Emirates’ second daily service between Dubai and Brussels – Emirates flight EK181 DXB-BRU – was scheduled for a 14:05 afternoon departure from Dubai International Airport (DXB / OMDB), but eventually took off at 14:20 local time (GST / UTC + 4). Instead of the regular Boeing 777-300ER, the flight was operated with Airbus A350-941 A6-EXU, an aircraft which had only been delivered to the United Arab Emirates’ airline on 22 May 2026 and one of the airline’s 24-strong fleet of Airbus A350-900 aircraft at that time. After an uneventful six and a half hour flight flight, Airbus A350-941 A6-EXU landed on Brussels Airport’s RWY 25L at 18:41 local time (CEST / UTC + 2), marking the end of Emirates’ first revenue service between Dubai and Brussels with the Airbus A350-900.
Many local aviation enthusiasts had gathered near Belgium’s biggest airport to witness the first arrival of the Emirates Airbus A350-900 on Belgian soil. As an extra bonus, these aviation enthusiasts even got to see the arrival of Air Congo’s first long-haul revenue flight between Kinshasa and Brussels less than thirty minutes later.
About the Emirates Airbus A350-900
On 18 November 2019 Emirates announced a firm order for 50 Airbus A350-900 aircraft at the Dubai Airshow 2019, an order worth USD 16 billion at list prices. The airline also announced that its Airbus A350-900 aircraft would be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and that the first delivery was expected in May 2023, with deliveries continuing until 2028. The purchase agreement replaced an already existing heads of agreement signed in February 2019, where the airline announced its intent to purchase 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft (and 40 Airbus A330neos). Two years later, on 16 November 2023 and during the 2023 edition of the Dubai Airshow, the United Arab Emirates’ airline announced an order for 15 additional Airbus A350-900 aircraft, an order worth USD 6 billion at list prices. The additional order took Emirates’ total Airbus A350-900 order book to a total of 65 units. But it didn’t stop there: on 19 November 2025, at the Dubai Airshow 2025, Emirates announced a new order for yet another 8 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, worth USD 3.4 billion at list prices. These 8 additional Airbus A350-900s aircraft were expected to be delivered during 2031. This additional top-up order boosted the airline’s Airbus A350-900 fleet to a total of 73 units.
On 27 November 2024, i.e. more than year later than originally planned, Emirates finally took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 aircraft and officially unveiled the aircraft during an exclusive event showcase in Dubai. On 3 January 2025 the first Emirates Airbus A350-900 aircraft entered commercial service, operating an inaugural flight from Dubai to Edinburgh.
The Emirates Airbus A350-900 features three spacious and comfortable cabin classes, accommodating up to 312 passengers (32 in business, 21 in premium economy and 259 in economy). Emirates’s broader strategy is to use the Airbus A350-900 to support Dubai’s economic agenda, which aims to add 400 cities to Dubai’s foreign trade map over the next decade. According to Airbus and Emirates, the Airbus A350-900 will play a vital role in establishing the newly announced Dubai World Central (DWC) mega hub, further strengthening Dubai’s position as a global aviation leader.
Return of the Boeing 777-300ER
Unfortunately Emirates plans to operate the Airbus A350-900 on the second daily service EK181/2 between Dubai and Brussels for only one month. Indeed, as from 1 August 2026 the second daily flight between the two cities will once again be operated with the regular Boeing 777-300ER. But at least quite a few Emirates passengers will have had the unique opportunity to enjoy the high-level product offered by the United Arab Emirates’ airline on its Airbus A350-900 on a service between Dubai and Brussels and/or vice versa, and the Belgian aviation enthusiasts got plenty of chances to see the Emirates Airbus A350-900 at Belgium’s biggest airport.
1 July 2026
