Emirates Installing Premium Economy on 777s & A380s

Emirates unveiled its much-anticipated new premium economy cabin at the start of 2021. This was first seen on newly delivered Airbus A380s, despite there being only six more A380s on order at the time. Following that, there were no definite plans to install premium economy on future planes until the airline received Boeing 777-9s, which are expected to arrive in 2024 at the earliest.

That strategy has now been abandoned. Emirates will upgrade 105 aircraft, including 53 Boeing 777s and 52 Airbus A380s, with premium economy cabins. The reconfiguration of these planes will take roughly 18 months, but it will not begin until the end of 2022. Emirates will have 111 planes with the premium economy after the project is completed.

Emirates 777s will have 24 premium economy seats in a 2-4-2 arrangement behind business class, with five rows of economy eliminated to make this possible.

In a 2-4-2 arrangement, Emirates A380s will have 56 premium economy seats at the very front of the lower deck, which will also replace economy seats.

Emirates’ premium economy seats have a 40-inch pitch, 19.5-inch width, and 8-inch recline. A footrest and a 13.3-inch personal seatback television are also included in each seat.

By the end of December 2021, Emirates’ first six Airbus A380s with the premium economy will be flying to Frankfurt, London, New York, and Paris.