Emirates has completed the refurbishment of 100 aircraft under its fleet retrofit programme, marking a major milestone in what the airline says is the world’s largest aircraft cabin upgrade project by an airline.
The programme began in November 2022 and has so far covered 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777 aircraft. Emirates expects to refurbish around 20 more aircraft by the end of December 2026 as part of its US$5 billion investment to upgrade cabin interiors across its fleet.
Cabin upgrades
Each refurbished aircraft has received a full interior upgrade, including the installation of a new Premium Economy cabin. More than 3,800 Premium Economy seats have been fitted across the 100 aircraft.
The work has been carried out at Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai by a team of more than 400 engineers and technicians, who have spent a total of 4.4 million man-hours on the project over 44 months.
“Our commitment to deliver best-in-class products across every cabin is an ongoing endeavour, and completing full cabin retrofits for 100 wide-body aircraft in 44 months is a significant achievement. Backed by a US$5 billion investment, it ensures our customers ‘fly better,’ with elevated luxury, comfort, and thoughtful detail throughout each cabin. Executing a project of this magnitude and complexity entirely inhouse has also required unmatched planning, precision, craftsmanship and technical capabilities here in Dubai.
“Our team has completely rewritten the rulebook on retrofitting the two largest passenger aircraft in commercial aviation to make sure that every aircraft returns to the skies on schedule and in impeccable shape,” said Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.
Project progress
Emirates first announced the retrofit programme in November 2021, initially covering 105 aircraft. It expanded the project to 191 aircraft in May 2024 before increasing the target to 219 aircraft later that year.
The first refurbished Airbus A380 entered the programme in November 2022, while the first retrofitted Boeing 777 returned to commercial service in August 2024.
Starting in October 2026, Emirates plans to begin the next phase of the programme, which includes installing 4K OLED HDR10+ seatback screens and new lightweight Safran Z400 seats on refurbished aircraft.
Sustainability efforts
Materials removed from refurbished aircraft, including leather and fabrics, are being reused through the airline’s “Aircrafted by Emirates” collection of luggage and other products.
The airline has also distributed more than 4,000 backpacks made from repurposed Economy Class seat fabric to children in 11 countries.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
