At the Dubai Airshow today, Emirates announced that they will retrofit 105 of their modern widebody aircraft with the Premium Economy product, including 53 Boeing 777s and 52 additional Airbus A380s.
On Tuesday (November 16, 2021), Emirates announced from the Dubai Airshow that they will retrofit 105 of their modern widebody aircraft with the Premium Economy cabin product, creating the ‘best-in-sky’ guest experience. The 18-month retrofit program will begin at the end of 2022 and will be entirely conducted at Emirates’ own state-of-the-art Engineering Centre in Dubai. A total of 52 additional Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s will be fitted with the carrier’s highly lauded Premium Economy Class cabin. Emirates is also considering the installation of a brand new Business Class product on their 777s, with a customized 1-2-1 layout.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Emirates Airline’s President, Sir Tim Clark, said,
“Emirates is investing in this retrofit programme to ensure that we continue to serve our customers’ needs, and provide the best experiences in the sky. Since we introduced our Premium Economy seats a year back, we’ve received a hugely positive response. Customers have been amazed by the quality and comfort. As Emirates has done with our signature First, Business and full-service Economy travel experiences, we intend to further develop our Premium Economy into a distinctive Emirates experience that is unmatched in the industry. We are also considering a brand new Business Class product. More details will be revealed in due course.”
“It is also a source of pride that the entire retrofit project will be conducted at our home base in Dubai. It demonstrates the strong aviation capabilities that has been built up within Emirates airline and the broader UAE ecosystem to support such a highly specialised and technical programme.”
Including the six four-cabin A380s that will have been delivered by December 2021, when the program is completed a total of 111 Boeing 777 and Airbus A380s will feature the Premium Economy product. On Emirates’ 777s, five rows of Economy Class seats located just behind Business Class will be removed to install 24 Premium Economy seats laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. On the A380, 56 Premium Economy seats will be installed at the front of the main deck in the same configuration.
Emirates Premium Economy product is in a class of its own. Each seat is 19.5 inches wide and offers a generous pitch of up to 40-inches, and comfortable reclines eight inches. The seats are covered with the highest quality anti-stain leather with fine stitching details and a wood paneling finish, similar to Business Class. Designed to provide maximum comfort, each seat includes a 6-way adjustable headrest, calf rests and footrests. Additionally, each Premium Economy seat features a 13.3” IFE screen, one of the largest in it class, for customers to enjoy entertainment on Emirates’ award-winning ice system, as well as in-seat charging points, a wide dining table and side cocktail table. By the end of December 2021, Emirates’ A380s with Premium Economy will be operating on flights to Frankfurt, London Heathrow, New York-JFK and Paris.
Source: Emirates