Dubai: Emirates will introduce a slew of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380s with upgraded cabins to eight more cities on its network in the coming months.
According to Emirates News Agency, the airline will roll out its refreshed A380s to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Nice, and Perth, and its upgraded Boeing 777s to Madrid, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, and Frankfurt, as well as another refitted Boeing 777 service to Dublin.
The airline's retrofit programme continues to advance at a remarkable pace with Emirates Engineering Centre teams working round the clock to complete full nose-to-tail makeovers at an average rate of one wide-body aircraft every three weeks. The airline will also receive its first long-range A350 later this year, which is set to make its debut in Australia with the introduction of flights to Adelaide from December 1.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, stated that the latest rollout of refurbished Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s and new A350s offer more opportunities for customers in over 70 cities and growing economies to experience their premium onboard service. He emphasized that by the end of this year, Emirates will establish itself as a leader in offering Premium Economy seats. In the next two years, Emirates aims to cement its position as the industry leader in Premium Economy deployment.
Kazim added that deploying the first long-range A350 to Adelaide underscores the importance of Australia in their network and represents their commitment to delivering the best long-haul experience on the latest generation aircraft. By the end of 2025, Emirates expects to receive five A350 aircraft intended for long-haul missions, featuring 32 lie-flat Business Class seats, 28 Premium Economy seats, and 238 Economy Class seats.
Since the refurbishment programme's start in November 2022, Emirates has upgraded the interiors of 51 aircraft, now flying to 38 destinations. Plans include refurbishing 219 aircraft in total, comprising 110 Airbus A380s and 109 Boeing 777s. The airline's US $5 billion retrofit investment is unprecedented in the aviation industry, focused on enhancing the onboard experience for customers.
Meticulously orchestrated by the Emirates Engineering team, over 270 engineers and technicians work tirelessly, devoting over 1,800 man-hours each day to complete each aircraft. On average, it takes 22 days to retrofit an A380 and 18 days for a Boeing 777, with two aircraft rolling out of the programme each month, ready for deployment to new or existing operations.