Emirates Airlines announces entry into service of its aircraft after completing modernization
Heba Press – Economy
Emirates Airlines has announced that its first Boeing 777 has been fully upgraded and put into service, with flight EK 83 taking off for Geneva on Wednesday 7 August 2024.
The entire aircraft modernisation process took 37 days and it entered service four days ahead of its officially announced operating schedule. The video clip gives an insight into how Emirates’ first Boeing 777 was unloaded, equipped and modernised by Emirates’ engineering team.
Sir Tim Clark, Chairman of Emirates Airlines, said: “Emirates Airlines continues to deliver on its commitment to delivering an unrivalled passenger experience in the air, with the launch of its latest updated Boeing 777 aircraft, featuring unique interior design and amenities, setting a new premium industry standard in premium travel, as delivered in our cabin… “The new Business Class delivers higher levels of quality while ensuring privacy for travellers, in addition to providing a range of the best in-flight products.
He added: “We wanted to add the very popular Premium Economy Class cabin, considered one of the best in the industry, to offer our passengers a distinctive travel experience, as it is equipped to offer high levels of comfort. As we upgrade more Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft to the latest generation of our inflight products, our passengers can continue to enjoy the best inflight experiences on both models.
Emirates’ first Boeing 777 began its full refurbishment phase in early July, when the aircraft’s passenger cabin was reconfigured to make way for the new Premium Economy Class, which features 24 seats across three rows in a 2-4-2 layout. The cream-coloured leather seats are complemented by elegant wood panel finishes throughout the cabin. These seats offer enhanced comfort with 38 inches of space allocated to each, and the 19.5-inch wide seats offer the option to recline the seatback by 8 inches, providing more space to stretch out and relax, as well as being equipped with 6-way adjustable headrests.
The new Business Class on the updated Emirates 777 aircraft features an attractive cabin, equipped with thoughtful enhancements that enhance passenger comfort and privacy levels. As well as being equipped with comfortable and spacious seats, the colours have been carefully chosen to complement the design elements of Emirates’ renowned Airbus A380 experience, while the cream leather seats shine with embroidery accents, elegant wood panelling and modern technology; touches that combine distinguished performance with luxury.
The new Business Class on the updated Emirates 777 features 38 seats in a 1-2-1 layout, which can be converted into fully flat beds, and are equipped with padded headrests to enhance comfort. The seat width is 20.7 inches and the seats are 44 inches apart. The cabin features four rows of seats in a 1-2-1 layout, providing each passenger with direct aisle access.
Each seat is equipped with a personal minibar, a dining or work table, multiple charging ports for personal and other devices, in addition to high-definition personal touchscreens, among the largest of their kind in the air, measuring 23 inches, allowing passengers to enjoy a unique entertainment experience thanks to the award-winning in-flight entertainment system on ice.
The Emirates Boeing 777 Business Class cabin also includes a small passenger lounge, where snacks and refreshments are offered to passengers during the flight.
As for the new economy class cabin, which includes 256 seats in soft grey and blue colours, its seats are equipped with full leather headrests with flexible side panels that can be adjusted to achieve optimal head support and provide the utmost comfort.
The aircraft, which has had a completely refurbished cabin, also features the airline’s distinctive Ghaf tree motif throughout the interiors.
Emirates Airlines is completing the modernisation of an additional 80 Boeing 777 aircraft as part of its programme, which will see investments of more than $3 billion, to deliver the best services and products in the industry and elevate the passenger experience in flight to unprecedented levels. In addition to Geneva, the carrier will begin using its Boeing 777 equipped with the new cabins on its services to Tokyo Haneda and Brussels in the coming weeks, with further destinations to which the updated aircraft will operate to be announced shortly.
The development and implementation of the Boeing 777 refurbishment work was carried out by a dedicated team of 175 engineers and technicians from Emirates’ engineering department in Dubai, and their implementation took into account the establishment of the highest quality and safety standards. The significant impact of the project on the local aviation sector is demonstrated by the involvement of more than 10 key partners who employed hundreds of skilled workers and collaborated with numerous workshops outside the carrier’s engineering facilities to support various aspects of the modernisation programme.
The process of modernizing the cabin of the first Boeing 777 took approximately 37 days, including the equivalent of 18,000 man-hours, as teams worked around the clock in a chronological sequence of the various stages, from dismantling the interior equipment to reinstalling and testing the new seats and other cabin components.
The modernization of Emirates’ first Boeing 777 required the use of the following elements:
330 square meters of carpet
340 plywood boards
8,000 square feet of leather for first class, business class and premium economy seats
800 meters of fabric for economy class seats
300 liters of paint
Emirates Airlines’ fleet modernisation programme comprises 191 Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, in what is considered the largest modernisation programme of its kind ever seen by the global aviation industry in terms of size and scope. Once the project is complete, the airline will have installed 8,104 new generation Premium Economy seats, 1,894 new First Class suites, 11,182 upgraded Business Class seats and 21,814 Economy Class seats.
Emirates currently operates its upgraded aircraft on flights to New York’s John F Kennedy Airport, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, London Heathrow, Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangalore, Sao Paulo, Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Geneva and Dubai.
