DUBAI'S EMIRATES AIRLINE REFURBISHES 100 AIRCRAFTS IN 44 MONTHS
Emirates has completed the refurbishment of 100 aircrafts under its retrofit programme since November 2022, an average of 28 aircrafts a year, the airline announced.
This marks the largest known refurbishment endeavour undertaken by any airline globally. Emirates upgraded and redecorated 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s at its Engineering hangars in Dubai.
By the end of this year, an additional 20 aircrafts will be upgraded, moving the airline significantly past the halfway point in its $5 billion (Dh18.3 billion) investment to deliver a satisfactory customer experience.
44 months, 400 engineers, 4.4 million man hours
Over a period of 44 months, the Emirates Engineering team has deployed more than 400 engineers and technicians, investing a collective 4.4 million man hours to transform 100 aircraft and deliver a sophisticated upgrade across the cabin interiors of all the aircraft.
Every aircraft was also fitted out with a new Premium Economy Cabin during the retrofit. More than 3,800 new Premium Economy seats have been installed in total as part of the initiative, said Emirates, which will allow for more passenger to experience the highly prized cabins.
More recently, the airlines debuted its Premium Economy to six Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Kochi.
Emirates’ $5 billion retrofit program
Emirates’ retrofit programme was first announced in November 2021 covering 105 aircraft from the airline’s fleet. In November 2022, the very first Emirates aircraft, an Airbus A380, underwent retrofit at the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai. By May 2024, underlined by strong customer demand, the retrofit initiative was expanded to cover 191 aircraft and then to 219 aircraft by the end of the year. In August 2024, the first Boeing 777 retrofitted in Dubai entered commercial service.
The Emirates Engineering team completed the two to three class retrofit of an A380 In May of this year, a project involving important structural changes to the aircraft including the introduction of Premium Economy Cabin in the upper deck of the aircraft for the very first time.
Starting October 2026, the Emirates retrofit programme will enter its next phase with the installation of 4K OLED HDR10+ display screens on aircraft seatbacks along with the introduction of the new lightweight Safran Z400 seats, among other product modifications.
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