Fewer Passengers, More Premium: Emirates' First Aircraft in the New Configuration

Emirates' fleet upgrade is underway, with the first A380 in the fleet being converted from a two-class configuration to a three-class configuration, including a premium economy class. The refurbished aircraft, designated A6-EUX, has already begun operating on the Dubai-Birmingham route.

The upgraded aircraft now offers 76 Business Class seats, 56 Premium Economy seats and 437 Economy Class seats, with a new interior design and innovative Emirates products across all three classes. It is the first of 15 two-class A380s to undergo a similar conversion by the end of 2026.

Emirates Business Class. Photo: Emirates

The project is being carried out entirely at Emirates Engineering's facilities in Dubai, as part of a large-scale retrofit program that has so far completed the upgrade of 95 aircraft, including 42 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s, more than a third of the company's current fleet.

Emirates' new economy class. Photo: Emirates

Emirates' tourist department. Photo: Emirates

One of the key innovations is the integration of Premium Economy class on the upper deck of the A380, a first for the airline's fleet. The class features 56 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, with wide leather seats, full leg rests, adjustable headrests, personal charging sockets, side tables and 13.3-inch entertainment screens.

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The iconic bar remains in place. Photo: Emirates

The conversion involved a complete dismantling of the aircraft's interior, including the removal of 120 economy seats on the upper deck to make room for premium economy and 18 additional business class seats. In addition, significant structural changes were made, including adjustments to the galleys, storage compartments, partitions, electrical systems and plumbing.

According to Emirates, about 50 engineers and technicians worked on the project, investing about 35,000 man-hours, using more than 2,500 different types of parts. The first project took about two months to complete, but the company estimates that subsequent aircraft will undergo the conversion in just about 30 days, after implementing the lessons learned from the initial project.

Company President, Tim Clark: "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."