Emirates reaches 100-aircraft milestone in fleet retrofit
Emirates has completed the refurbishment of its 100th aircraft under its US$5 billion fleet retrofit programme.
Since work began in November 2022, the airline has retrofitted 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s at its engineering facilities in Dubai.
Emirates expects to complete upgrades on around 20 more aircraft by the end of 2026, taking the programme beyond its halfway point.
Originally announced in 2021 to cover 105 aircraft, the initiative has since expanded to 219 aircraft, reflecting strong customer demand for upgraded cabins.
A central element of the programme has been the installation of Premium Economy across the fleet. More than 3,800 Premium Economy seats have now been fitted, allowing the airline to expand availability of the cabin on additional routes.
Over 44 months, more than 400 engineers and technicians have invested a combined 4.4 million labour hours in the programme.
Each aircraft undergoes a complete cabin strip-out and rebuild, with engineers replacing more than 4,000 components on each A380 and over 2,500 on each Boeing 777.
Emirates Engineering has also developed bespoke equipment and processes to support the work, including modified catering trucks for transporting large cabin components within its hangars and specialist tooling for accessing aircraft interiors. More than 100 suppliers are supporting the programme.
In May 2026, Emirates completed a major A380 reconfiguration that introduced Premium Economy to the aircraft’s upper deck for the first time through significant structural modifications.
From October 2026, the programme will enter its next phase with the introduction of 4K OLED HDR10+ seatback entertainment screens and new lightweight Safran Z400 seats, alongside further cabin enhancements.
As part of the initiative, Emirates said it is also repurposing materials removed during refurbishment. Leather, fabrics and other cabin materials are being transformed into products under its ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’ range, while more than 4,000 backpacks made from recycled Economy Class seat fabric have been donated to children in 11 countries.