Emirates has completed the retrofit of its first Airbus A380 previously configured with two passenger classes, converting the aircraft into a new three-class layout with Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class. The aircraft, registered A6-EUX, has returned to service on the Dubai – Birmingham route, operating flights EK 39/40.
With this retrofit, Emirates has introduced Premium Economy on the upper deck of its A380 for the first time. The new configuration includes 76 Business Class seats, 56 Premium Economy seats and 437 Economy Class seats. Premium Economy on the upper deck is arranged in a 2-3-2 layout, featuring leather seats with generous recline, leg and footrests, adjustable headrests, charging ports, additional side surfaces and 13.3-inch personal screens.
The retrofit is part of Emirates’ wider multi-billion-dollar fleet modernisation programme. The work is being carried out in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai, which has so far completed the retrofit of 95 aircraft, including 42 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s. This represents more than one third of Emirates’ current fleet.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said the aim of the programme is to offer passengers a consistently elevated travel experience whenever they choose to fly with Emirates. According to Clark, the reconfiguration of a two-class A380 into a three-class layout, including the introduction of Premium Economy on the upper deck, demonstrates both the complexity of the project and the capabilities of Emirates’ engineering team.
The work on aircraft A6-EUX required the complete dismantling, refurbishment and reassembly of the passenger cabin. On the upper deck, 120 Economy Class seats were removed to make room for 56 Premium Economy seats and an additional 18 Business Class seats. The new configuration also required modifications and repositioning of galley modules, stowage areas, overhead bins, partitions and related electrical and plumbing systems.
Around 50 engineers and technicians worked on the project, investing approximately 35,000 man-hours and using more than 2,500 different types of parts. The first retrofit took two months, including planning and testing, but Emirates expects future aircraft in the same configuration to be completed in around 30 days. By the end of 2026, the airline plans to retrofit all 15 A380 aircraft that previously had a two-class layout.
The refurbished A380 also features refreshed interiors across all cabins, including new-generation seats, carpets, ceiling panels, modernised finishes, wood details and Ghaf tree motifs, one of the distinctive design elements in Emirates’ latest cabin interiors.
Emirates first announced the retrofit programme in 2021. The initial plan covered 120 aircraft, but following positive customer feedback and the success of the programme, its scope was expanded first to 191 aircraft and later to a total of 219 aircraft. A dedicated team of around 270 employees is involved in the programme, with an average of two refurbished aircraft emerging from the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai each month.
The airline also says it is working to reduce the environmental impact of the programme by reusing materials removed from aircraft cabins. Some of these materials are used as part of Emirates’ upcycling initiatives, including the “Aircrafted” collection and children’s backpacks made from repurposed Economy Class seat fabric. According to Emirates, around 4,000 such backpacks have so far been donated to children in ten countries.
