Emirates has revealed plans to completely refurbish another 43 A380s and 28 Boeing 777 aircraft, expanding its retrofit programme to encompass 191 aircraft.
The initial scheme aimed for 120 aircraft – 67 A380s and 53 777s – to undergo full refurbishment. The Boeing 777 remains the backbone of the Emirates fleet, while the A380 stands as the airline’s flagship customer favourite.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, commented: “We’re augmenting our multi-billion pound investment in the retrofit programme to introduce state-of-the-art cabin products on more of our A380s and Boeing 777s, demonstrating a firm commitment to enhancing the customer experience with a suite of best-in-class products across every cabin. The addition of more aircraft fitted with our newest-generation seats, updated cabin finishings, and a contemporary colour palette also signifies a significant stride in ensuring more customers can consistently enjoy our premium products across both aircraft types.”
Emirates has already retrofitted 22 A380 aircraft, and the first Boeing 777 will undergo an interior refresh in July of this year. Each Boeing 777 aircraft will undergo approximately two weeks of refurbishment before entering service. Plans include the refurbishment of the first-class cabin, introduction of all-new business-class seats in an updated 1-2-1 seating configuration, and installation of 24 of the latest premium-economy seats, providing customers with more premium options.
With the addition of the premium-economy cabin, the Emirates Boeing 777 will boast 332 seats across four classes, featuring eight first-class suites, 40 business-class seats, and 260 economy-class seats. To accommodate the new premium-economy cabin, 50-economy seats will be removed.
Emirates’ fleet refurbishment is being fully managed and executed in-house at the airline’s Engineering Centre, with over 250 project personnel currently working round the clock. They are supported by 31 major partners and suppliers who have established workshops both within the facility and offsite to deliver the refreshed cabins.
Upon completion of the retrofit programme Emirates will have installed 8,104 premium-economy seats, 1,894 refreshed first-class suites, 11,182 upgraded business-class seats, and 21,814 economy-class seats.
