Emirates has completed the retrofit of its first Airbus A380 in its previous two-class layout, as part of the fleet retrofit program the airline is carrying out through its engineering center in Dubai, aimed at reconfiguring the cabins of a number of its aircraft and adding new travel products on board.
The retrofitted aircraft, registered A6-EUX, has entered service on flights EK39 and EK40 between Dubai and Birmingham, after its interior was converted to 3 classes of travel with 76 Business Class seats, 56 Premium Economy seats and 437 Economy Class seats, according to the Emirates website.
The aircraft is the first of 15 two-class Airbus A380s to be retrofitted under the program, with the retrofit of all aircraft of this type in the airline's fleet to be completed by the end of 2026.
Emirates Engineering has so far retrofitted 95 aircraft in the airline's fleet, including 42 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s, representing more than a third of the current fleet.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, explained that the fleet retrofit program aims to offer customers a more consistent travel experience across different flights, adding that converting two-class Airbus A380s to a three-class layout reflects the capabilities of Emirates Engineering teams in carrying out complex retrofits.
Under the retrofit, the Premium Economy cabin is available for the first time on the upper deck of the two-class Airbus A380s, in a 2-3-2 layout, with leather seats and more seating space, along with features including leg rests and footrests, adjustable headrests, charging ports and 13.3-inch personal entertainment screens.
The aircraft retrofit work included fully dismantling, refurbishing and reinstalling the interior cabin, as well as modifications to the upper deck that included removing 120 Economy Class seats to allow the installation of 56 Premium Economy seats and 18 additional Business Class seats.
The retrofit also included structural and technical modifications to galleys, storage areas, overhead bins and internal partitions, as well as updates to electrical, water and service systems on board.
Around 50 engineers and technicians took part in the retrofit, working for nearly 35,000 hours and using more than 2,500 types of spare parts and components.
The retrofit of the first aircraft of this type took around two months, including planning, preparation and testing, while the airline expects to cut the retrofit time for subsequent aircraft of the same type to around 30 days each, drawing on the experience gained from the first project.
Emirates first announced its fleet retrofit program in 2021, initially targeting 120 aircraft in its first phase, before expanding the program in May 2024 to 191 aircraft and later raising it to 219 aircraft.
The program is carried out by a dedicated team of around 270 staff, allowing an average of two retrofitted aircraft a month to roll out of the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai.
On reusing materials, Emirates assesses components recovered from the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft undergoing retrofit, with the aim of repurposing them in upcycling initiatives, including limited-edition Aircrafted products and bags made from repurposed Economy Class seat fabrics.
To view the post on the Emirates website, click here.
