Emirates has completed the refurbishment of its 100th aircraft under an extensive US$5 billion widebody fleet modernisation programme. Since the project began in November 2022, the airline has fully refurbished 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s.

The initiative is regarded as the largest known passenger cabin retrofit programme undertaken by a single airline. Emirates plans to modernise a total of 219 aircraft, with approximately 20 additional aircraft expected to be completed by the end of December 2026, taking the programme beyond the halfway mark.

Over a period of 44 months, more than 400 engineers and technicians from Emirates Engineering invested a combined 4.4 million working hours in refurbishing the aircraft. All work is being carried out at the airline’s engineering hangars in Dubai and includes the complete removal and replacement of the interiors, from the front to the rear of the cabin.

Every refurbished aircraft has also received a new Premium Economy cabin. More than 3,800 seats in the class have so far been installed, allowing Emirates to accelerate the rollout of the product across a growing number of routes in its global network.

Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark said the completion of 100 widebody aircraft retrofits in less than four years represented a significant technical and organisational achievement. According to Clark, the programme is helping the airline deliver a consistently higher level of comfort, luxury and product quality across all travel classes.

He also highlighted the fact that the entire programme is being carried out using Emirates’ own capabilities in Dubai. Refurbishing two of the largest passenger aircraft types in commercial aviation required precise planning, the development of new working procedures and the coordination of a large supplier network to ensure that each aircraft returned to service on schedule.

Since the project began, Emirates Engineering has refurbished an average of 28 aircraft per year. During each retrofit, the aircraft interior is completely dismantled, all passenger cabins are renewed and thousands of components are then reinstalled. More than 4,000 parts are required for the refurbishment of a single Airbus A380, while over 2,500 components are used for a Boeing 777.

Due to the scale of the programme, the engineering team developed a range of in-house solutions. Modified catering vehicles are used to transport large components between workshops and aircraft, while a system was introduced to track progress across individual cabin zones. Specialised procedures for storing and retrieving components were also developed.

Emirates engineers have additionally designed and manufactured specialised equipment for moving parts and accessing hard-to-reach areas inside the aircraft. More than 100 suppliers are involved in the implementation of the programme.

The original modernisation plan was announced in November 2021 and covered 105 aircraft. The first Airbus A380 entered the retrofit hangar a year later. Following strong passenger demand, the programme was expanded to 191 aircraft in May 2024 and then increased to 219 aircraft by the end of the same year.

The first refurbished Boeing 777 entered commercial service in August 2024. In May 2026, Emirates also completed a more complex conversion of one A380 from a two-class to a three-class configuration. The project involved structural modifications and marked the first installation of a Premium Economy cabin on the upper deck of the aircraft type.

A new phase of the programme is scheduled to begin in October 2026. Planned upgrades include the installation of 4K OLED HDR10+ seatback displays, new lightweight Safran Z400 seats and several other passenger product modifications.

Some of the materials removed from the aircraft are also being given a second life. High-quality leather, fabrics and other cabin elements are being used to produce limited-edition bags and other items under the “Aircrafted by Emirates” range.

Emirates has also produced more than 4,000 backpacks from repurposed Economy Class seat fabric and distributed them to children in 11 countries. Through the initiative, the airline is linking part of its large-scale modernisation programme with the reuse of materials that would otherwise have been removed from service.