Emirates has announced it will be completely refurbishing another 43 A380s and 28 Boeing 777s, expanding its retrofit programme to 191 aircraft. The original plan called 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 is the airline’s flagship, and the expansion of the refurbishment programme is designed to ensure Emirates continues to provide customers with an unparalleled travel experience.
“We’re topping up our multi-billion dollar investment in the retrofit programme to introduce cutting-edge cabin products on more of our A380s and Boeing 777s, demonstrating a clear commitment to elevating the customer experience with a best-in-class suite of products across every cabin,” said Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline. “The addition of more aircraft fitted with our newest generation seats, updated cabin finishings and a contemporary colour palette also marks a significant step in ensuring more customers can consistently experience our premium products across both aircraft types.”
Emirates has retrofitted 22 A380 aircraft so far, and in July of this year, the first Boeing 777 will undergo an interior refresh. Each Boeing 777 aircraft will take approximately two weeks to refurbish before entering service. Plans include the refurbishment of the First Class cabin, all-new Business Class seats making a debut on the aircraft in an updated 1-2-1 seating configuration, in addition to 24 of the latest Premium Economy seats, giving customers more premium options to choose from.
Along with the addition of the Premium Economy cabin, the Emirates Boeing 777 will be configured with 332 seats in four classes, featuring eight First Class suites, 40 Business Class seats, and 260 Economy Class seats. To make room for the new Premium Economy cabin, 50 Economy seats will be removed.
Once the last aircraft rolls out of the retrofit programme and the project is fully complete, the airline will have installed 8,104 next-generation Premium Economy seats, 1,894 refreshed First Class suites, 11,182 upgraded Business Class seats and 21,814 Economy Class seats.
