Emirates has completed its first-ever retrofit of a two-class A380 aircraft, transforming it into a three-class layout. The aircraft (A6-EUX) is operating as EK 39/40 and has taken to the skies between Dubai and Birmingham.
Elevated Experience
The retrofit is part of a multi-billion-dollar programme, which has already seen 42 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s updated. 14 further two-class A380 aircraft will also be refurbished as part of the programme.
Speaking about the upgrade, Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, commented:
“The Emirates retrofit programme revolves around the central premise that we will offer our customers a truly elevated experience every time they choose to travel with us. To this end, our engineering team has been working continuously and at pace in close collaboration with an ecosystem of partners and suppliers to meticulously refresh and integrate the best-in-class products to each aircraft in the programme. Our retrofit programme has raised the bar at every step, in terms of complexity, scale and detailed craftsmanship. The reconfiguration of our two-class A380 into three-class layout that brings our popular Premium Economy seating onto the upper deck illustrates the extensive capabilities of our team.”
Award-Winning Premium Economy Cabin
The retrofitted A380 now features Emirates’ award-winning Premium Economy cabin in its upper deck.
Emirates Engineering completed the work in Dubai, where a dedicated team of approximately 50 engineers and technicians spent around 35,000 person-hours retrofitting the aircraft.
The Premium Economy cabin boasts leather reclining seats with leg and footrests, 6-way adjustable headrests, charging ports, cocktail tables, and a 13.3-inch screen.
Passengers in all three classes will now also enjoy refreshed interiors, featuring contemporary colours, Ghaf Tree motifs and deluxe wood finishes.
The airline hopes that all 15 two-class A380s will be retrofitted by the end of this year.
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