Emirates’ first retrofitted A380 flies to London Heathrow

Emirates Airline has deployed its first A380, which was completely refurbished under the airline’s $2bn retrofit programme, on the Dubai-London Heathrow service on January 6.

Sir Tim Clark, president Emirates Airline said: “Customers will notice the difference the moment they step onboard – the spacious A380 will look and feel even more impressive and comfortable. With our latest interiors and products, this newly refurbished aircraft elevates our inflight experience in all classes of travel, and enables us to offer more Premium Economy seats to meet customer demand. I’m particularly proud that this refurbishment work was designed, conducted, and completed in-house at our facilities in Dubai, to the highest standards of quality and safety. It reflects the world-class aviation capabilities and infrastructure that exists within Emirates, and here in the UAE.”

The fully refreshed A380 features 56 Premium Economy class seats on the main deck, with new colour palettes in the carpeting and wall panels.

On the upper deck, First and Business Class seats feature cream-coloured leather upholstery and lighter-toned wood finishing, similar to the airline’s ‘game changer’ product. The airline’s signature ghaf tree motif also features prominently throughout the interiors, including hand-stencilled panels in the First Class Shower Spa.

The next A380 aircraft lined up for its make-over is A6-EUW, and work is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

New year, new look. The first retrofitted Emirates A380, complete with refurbished cabin interiors and the popular Premium Economy seats, is ready for boarding. ✨ https://t.co/tlPRbSVMpd pic.twitter.com/dx1zP72cTL

— Emirates (@emirates) January 6, 2023

As the programme moves forward, engineers will work simultaneously on two aircraft. This means that one aircraft in the fleet will be withdrawn from service every eight days and transferred to Emirates Engineering facilities.

By 2024, all 67 A380s assigned for refurbishment will have returned to service. Emirates will then begin work on its 53 Boeing 777s earmarked for this project. The airline expects to complete the program in 2025.

The airline has recruited 190 new project personnel for the project and is working with 48 major partners and suppliers for the task.

Teams of engineers and technicians have worked round the clock, taking apart the entire interior of the A380 and refitting the parts again in a carefully planned and tested sequence.

In recent news, Emirates signed an agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas to encourage tourism to the Caribbean archipelago.

Read: UAE’s Emirates Airline, Bahamas partner to promote tourism