Skift Take

The Emirates A350 is one of the year's most hotly anticipated aircraft launches. We now know when it'll make its debut and which cities will see it first.

Emirates is famed for its extravagant service onboard its current fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. It's therefore little surprise that expectations are high for its incoming A350s - an aircraft that has been years in the making.

On Monday, the carrier confirmed not only when the plane will make its debut, but also where.

Emirates' first A350-900 is due to make its maiden flight this September. An initial roster of nine global destinations will be served, with Dubai to Bahrain the very first route to see the new jet. From September 15, Flights EK839 and EK840 between the two cities will be A350-operated.

At a distance of just 263 nautical miles, the aircraft will be in the air for less than an hour. Emirates says a