Emirates has completed the first refurbishment of a two-class configured Airbus A380 in a two-month timeframe, incorporating the Premium Economy cabin for the first time on the upper deck with a 2-3-2 seat layout, as the airline reported in a statement.
The project, carried out entirely by Emirates Engineering, corresponds to the first of 15 aircraft of this model that will undergo this renovation process, which is scheduled to conclude by the end of 2026.
For the interior update of the first A380, which involved dismantling, reconditioning, and reinstalling all cabin elements, a team of around 50 engineers and technicians was required, working with more than 2,500 different types of parts.
"Our refurbishment program has raised the bar at every step, in terms of complexity, scale, and thoroughness of execution. The reconfiguration of our two-class A380 to a three-class layout, bringing our popular Premium Economy seats to the upper deck," valued the President of Emirates Airline, Tim Clark.
Emirates' modernization program, launched in 2021, has already allowed for the renovation of one-third of the company's current fleet, with a total of 95 aircraft intervened to date, including 42 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s.