An Emirates Airbus A380 has returned to the skies with an extra seating class after the superjumbo underwent an epic transformation.
The Emirates double decker, registered A6-EUX, is the first of 15 Airbus A380s that are being remodeled as part of a multi-billion dollar retrofit announced earlier this year.
Under the program, high-density two-class Airbus A380s are being given a three-class layout upgrade with the introduction of premium economy seats.
While the high-density A380s are fitted with 615 seats, the retrofitted 15 superjumbos will instead have 569, comprised of 76 business class seats, 56 premium economy seats, and 437 economy class seats.
For the first time, the premium economy will be located on the upper deck. The Emirates Engineering team removed 120 economy class seats to make way for the premium economy and an additional 18 business class seats.
The retrofitted three-class A380s will also feature upgraded interiors across all cabins including the latest generation seats and updated cabin finishings.
“The Emirates retrofit program revolves around the central premise that we will offer our customers a truly elevated experience every time they choose to travel with us,” Tim Clark, President of Emirates said. “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 program.”
According to Emirates, its engineering team completed the retrofit of the first two-class A380 over a period of two months, including comprehensive planning and testing.
It took a team of around 50 engineers and technicians approximately 35,000 hours while utilizing more than 2,500 different types of parts.
“Our retrofit program has raised the bar at every step, in terms of complexity, scale and detailed craftsmanship,” Clark added. “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.”
Emirates Airbus A380 A6-EUX in “Journey To The Future” livery arriving into Manchester on flight EK19 from Dubai.
— DRSGuy (@Electra88007) July 16, 2023
(15/07/23) pic.twitter.com/YCCqbBTxl1
By the end of 2026, all 15 two-class A380 aircraft in the Emirates fleet will be retrofitted.