For now, eight airlines have confirmed Airbus A350-1000 flights to the US in 2026. They are British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, French bee, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Virgin Atlantic.
The ninth carrier is 
Delta Air Lines, which is due to take delivery of the A350-1000 in 2026. The variant’s entry into service may take place before the year’s end, although no route details are currently known. Lufthansa is also set to welcome the largest A350 this year. It will, of course, fly to the US, but details (including dates) are presently unknown. As such, it is not included here.
A Breakdown Of The Eight Confirmed Carriers’ US Operations
They are ordered as follows by the number of departures in the first half of 2026 (January and June). Whether surprising or not, the SkyTeam member Virgin Atlantic is the US’s leading operator of the largest A350 variant. The airline will operate one in four of the A350-1000’s total US services. Its share will, of course, gradually reduce as Delta and Lufthansa’s examples appear.
According to ch-aviation, Virgin has 12 A350-1000s. Seven aircraft have 335 seats; they’re in its higher-premium configuration. The remaining five aircraft have 397 seats; they’re in its lower-premium, leisure-driven layout.
The 397-seater is Virgin’s highest-capacity equipment. They are, of course, especially well-suited to places like Orlando. The higher capacity enables lower seat-mile costs, which offsets the lower yields from the lower premium demand.
|
Departing A350-1000 Flights To The US: January-June* |
Airline |
US Routes (At Any Point From January-June)** |
|---|---|---|
|
1,345 (three to ten daily) |
Virgin Atlantic |
Edinburgh-Orlando; London Heathrow-Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Orlando, San Francisco, Tampa; Manchester-Las Vegas, New York JFK, Orlando |
|
1,227 (six to eight daily) |
Qatar Airways |
Doha-Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco |
|
1,058 (five to six daily) |
British Airways |
London Heathrow-Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington Dulles |
|
713 (three to four daily) |
Japan Airlines |
Tokyo Haneda-Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York JFK |
|
543 (mainly three daily) |
Etihad Airways |
Abu Dhabi-Atlanta (I flew this route in 2025), Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK |
|
396 (four to five daily, through March only^) |
Cathay Pacific |
Hong Kong-Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York JFK |
|
181 (up to daily) |
Ethiopian Airlines |
Addis Ababa-Washington Dulles (via Rome Fiumicino to the US, nonstop back to Africa) |
|
45 (four to six weekly; from April 25) |
French bee |
Paris Orly-Newark |
|
* Known as of January 5, and subject to change. Double for both ways ^ Currently only scheduled through March. More A350-1000 flights will likely be added beyond then |
** Known as of January 5, and subject to change. If any airline has more than one A350-1000 configuration, all routes are combined |
French bee’s A350-1000s Have 480 Seats
French low-cost carrier and leisure operator French bee has six aircraft, including two A350-1000s. They have a substantial 480 seats, comprising 40 premium economy seats (2-4-2; 38″ pitch) and 440 seats in economy (3-4-3; 31″ pitch).
According to Cirium Diio data for the first half of the year, the little-discussed carrier will provide the US’s highest-capacity flights on twinjet aircraft. Of course, various airlines will have higher-capacity US services on quadjet equipment, specifically on the A380.
French bee began using the A350-1000 to the US in 2024. The variant reappeared in 2025 and will be back in 2026. It has always been used between Paris Orly and Newark, which is obviously served for NYC.
The largest A350 variant will primarily operate during the peak summer, with the highest demand and fares. However, US Department of Transportation data for June to September 2025 shows the airline only filled 82% of Newark seats, up to eight points lower compared to earlier in the year. Using the A350-1000 might have been a bit much.
Up To 17-Hour Nonstop Flights: Delta Air Lines’ 10 New Ultra-Long Routes In 2026
Three of them are new this year. Find out which they are.
A Quick Summary Of Delta’s A350-1000s
Delta has firmly ordered 20 A350-1000s, with options for an additional 20 frames. Deliveries will begin in 2026. While the number of seats is currently unknown, it’ll probably become its highest-capacity equipment.
The carrier has not yet disclosed where it will fly. However, part of the variant’s role will be used in slot-constrained airports, especially in Europe, where it is hard to grow with additional frequencies. It is likely to appear at Amsterdam and London Heathrow in particular.
The A350-1000 will combine high capacity and a very long range with a premium configuration. In November 2024, the airline stated that over half of its A350-1000 seats will be ‘premium,’ which it classified as Delta One, Delta Premium Select, and Comfort+ on long-haul machines. Unless the plan has changed, it is due to be the proportionally most premium equipment in Delta’s fleet.
Will the upcoming Atlanta to Riyadh route, currently down to see the A350-900, be switched to the A350-1000? In 2024, the airline mentioned its desire to return to India, although the inability to overfly Russian airspace might cause problems. Will it do so with the -1000? Time will tell. It’d be among Delta’s new longest routes.
