Emirates will retrofit the entire interior cabins of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft – two of the largest commercial aircraft types in service today.
Emirates, the Dubai Based airline and a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, has announced the commencement of the largest known fleet retrofit project which is part of a multi-billion dollar investment done by the airline operator to elevate the customer experience. Under the new project, Emirates plans to upgrade the entire interior cabins of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft which are two of the largest commercial aircraft types currently in service around the world.
This ambitious project, to ensure Emirates’ customers “fly better” for the coming years, will officially begin in November 2022 and will be managed entirely by Emirates’ Engineering team. The target is to completely retrofit four Emirates aircraft from start to finish every month, continuously for over 2 years.
After the 67 earmarked A380s are refreshed and commissioned back in service, 53 Boeing 777s will undergo their facelift. The project will see nearly 4,000 brand new Premium Economy seats installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design when the project is complete in April 2025. In addition to this, carpets and stairs will be upgraded, and cabin interior panels refreshed with new tones and design motifs including the iconic ghaf trees which are native to the UAE.
Trials for the project began on an Airbus A380 in July 2022, where experienced engineers took apart each cabin piece-by-piece and logged every step. Every action was tested, timed and mapped out including removing the seats and paneling to bolts and screws. Potential impediments to completing the installation of Emirates’ new Premium Economy Class or the retrofit of the remaining three cabins in just 16 days were flagged and documented by the company for expert teams to review and address.
As part of the programme, new purpose-built workshops will be set up at Emirates Engineering to repaint, re-trim and re-upholster Business and Economy Class seats with new covers and cushions. The First Class suites will be carefully disassembled by the engineering team and will be sent to a specialized company to replace the leather, armrests and other materials.
Until the commencement of the retrofit programme in earnest in November 2022, the company has assembled a cross-disciplinary team to regularly review the planning process, and address any issues. The team will also track updates on various aspects of the project such as procurement, staffing, and training.
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Emirates’ new Premium Economy cabin class, which offers luxurious seats, and more legroom, is currently available to Emirates customers traveling on popular A380 routes to London, Paris, and Sydney. More customers will be able to experience the airline’s new Premium Economy cabins starting from year-end, as the retrofit programme picks up momentum.
