Katunayake, Sri Lanka – 26 March 2025: Emirates’ latest aircraft, the Airbus A350, has made its debut in Sri Lanka, introducing an exciting new dimension in air travel to and from the popular destination of Colombo.
The roll out of Emirates’ A350 aircraft to Sri Lanka featuring the airline’s latest interiors, industry-first technologies and innovations, reinforces the airline’s commitment to a market it has served for 39 years, and offers exceptional levels of comfort onboard.
Presenting the first experience of Emirates’ sought-after Premium Economy cabin on the Colombo – Dubai route, the A350 now operates flight EK654/655 six days a week.
EK654 departs Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 10:45hrs (every day except Wednesdays) and arrives at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake at 16:50hrs (all times are local). The return flight, EK655 departs BIA at 22:05hrs and reaches DXB at 00:55, the following day on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays and at 01:05hrs, the following day, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Emirates’ Premium Economy customers can experience quiet luxury with cream-coloured leather and wood panel finishing similar to Business Class. Each 19.5-inch seat is designed to provide optimal comfort and support, with 6-way adjustable headrests, a footrest and a generous recline. Each seat has a 13.3-inch screen, in addition to in-seat charging points and a wood-finished side cocktail table.
The Premium Economy dining experience includes a welcome drink served in fine glassware, and a selection of meals made with seasonal ingredients, served on Royal Doulton china tableware with stainless-steel cutlery. Premium Economy customers are also offered an extended beverage list.
The Emirates A350 aircraft offers three cabin classes, with 32 next generation Business Class seats, 21 seats in Premium Economy, and 259 generously pitched Economy Class seats. The A350 aircraft are earmarked to serve short to medium haul cities on the Emirates network, and Colombo is among the first nine destinations to be served by one.
Emirates’ A350 showcases the latest in cabin innovation and has been designed to maximise customer comfort. Standout features include a newly-designed, more comfortable Economy Class cabin; upgraded Business Class and Premium Economy cabins; the best image quality on any aircraft with 4K and 4K HDR ultra-responsive touchscreens; extra-high ceilings with wider aisles in all classes; and faster Wi-Fi with uninterrupted global connectivity across all A350 destinations.
Emirates has 65 A350s joining its fleet over the coming years. The most fuel-efficient large widebody aircraft in commercial service today, the A350 also offers the quietest twin-aisle cabin of any aircraft.
Emirates began operations to Sri Lanka in April 1986 and has consistently supported the country’s tourism and export industries with passenger and cargo services. The award-winning airline has carried more than 12 million passengers to and from Colombo since operations began. With four daily flights, the airline offers more than 2,800 seats daily on the service operating between Colombo and Dubai (both directions) with the capacity to carry up to 160 tonnes of cargo on the same flights.
Emirates and Sri Lanka Tourism share a long-standing strategic partnership, collaborating on initiatives and programmes designed to boost tourism to Sri Lanka by showcasing the destination to customers across its global network. With its capacity on the Colombo-Dubai route, Emirates will contribute significantly to achieving the country’s tourism targets of attracting 3 million visitors in 2025.
