Emirates Deploys Airbus A350 on Kolkata-Dubai Route, Raising Weekly Flights to 12
Emirates has introduced the Airbus A350 on its Kolkata-Dubai route and added a 12th weekly service, the Airports Authority of India confirmed.
By The Aviation Hub
3 min read
The Emirates Airbus A350 has been deployed on the Kolkata-Dubai route, with weekly frequencies also increased from 11 to 12, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
The new service was marked with a ceremonial water cannon salute at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU), underlining the significance the airline and the airport place on the upgrade.
What Changed on the Kolkata-Dubai Route
According to the Economic Times, Emirates has moved the route from its previous 11 weekly departures to 12, introducing the wide-body Airbus A350 at the same time. The previous schedule used different equipment, though the sources do not specify which aircraft type it replaced on this particular route.
CNBC TV18 reports that the increase in frequency and the introduction of the A350 are expected to strengthen Kolkata's international air connectivity and serve rising travel demand across eastern India.
Kolkata Airport Director Welcomes the Expansion
Kolkata Airport Director Vikram Singh welcomed the development. He said that "the introduction of the Airbus A350 and the additional flight frequency reflected the growing demand for international air travel." He also extended his best wishes to the Emirates team and passengers for the new service.
Singh's remarks align with a broader pattern of traffic recovery and growth at Indian international gateways, with Dubai serving as one of the busiest transit and destination points for Indian travellers.
Where the Emirates Airbus A350 Is Heading Across the Network
The Kolkata deployment is part of a wider rollout of the A350 across Emirates' network. The Economic Times notes that from 1 November the airline will replace the Boeing 777 on its daily Dubai-Mauritius service with the A350.
We have followed Emirates' A350 expansion closely. The airline's deployment of the Airbus A350-900ULR to Adelaide was covered in detail in December 2025, as the carrier looked to extend the type across long-haul and ultra-long-range sectors.
For more detail on the A350 and other aircraft types in Emirates' fleet, the Aircraft Search tool is a useful starting point.
What This Means for Passengers in Eastern India
Kolkata is described by CNBC TV18 as a key international gateway for eastern India. The additional weekly flight gives travellers from the region one more option to connect through Dubai to onward destinations across Emirates' global network.
The A350 is a wide-body, new-generation aircraft, and its introduction on the route offers passengers a more modern cabin product than older equipment would provide. Dubai (DXB) remains one of the world's busiest aviation hubs, and the frequency increase reinforces the importance of the Kolkata feed for Emirates.
The Bottom Line
Emirates has made a clear statement about the Kolkata market by pairing a frequency increase with a newer, wider aircraft on the same day. The water cannon salute at CCU signals that both the airline and the airport regard this as a meaningful upgrade, not simply a routine schedule adjustment.
With the Mauritius replacement also scheduled for November and the broader A350 rollout continuing, the type is clearly becoming a workhorse across multiple Emirates sectors. Kolkata is the latest city to benefit from that shift.
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