PE installation in Emirates' A380s is slow going: only 3 planes in 5 months. How far along is the retrofit
At the height of the pandemic, in late 2020, Emirates announced the introduction of premium economy: the first aircraft to be equipped with [...]
Emirates
In the midst of a pandemic, at the end of 2020, Emirates announced The introduction of premium economy: The first aircraft to be equipped with this class were 5 Airbus A380, moreover the latest double-deckers produced and delivered From the Toulouse-based company. The installation of PE in existing A380s, on the other hand, began in 2022: more than two years later today, there are 29 Super Jumbos configured with 4 classes of service.
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Emirates recently released its financial data for the last six months, and among the (many, many) numbers with 6 (sometimes even 9) zeros, the company also talked about the premium economy development; in this case, however, the figures are not exactly great.
In 5 months, between April 1 and September 30, 2024, Emirates renovated the interiors of 8 aircraft: 5 of them are Boeing 777s - equipped not only with the PE but also of the new business - e only 3 are A380. If with the 'triple sevens' EK was definitely fast (retrofitting of the aircraft began in July, after which the first aircraft configured with 4 classes debuted in August), the same cannot be said for the Super Jumbos.
The question, at this point, arises: if this pace is maintained, when will PE installation in A380s be completed? This, evidently, has an impact on the development of premium economy: the fewer planes equipped with this class, the fewer passengers will be able to discover (and choose) it.
Originally Emirates' plan was to install PE in 120 aircraft, specifically 67 A380s and 53 B777s: in May this year, however, the airline decided to raise the bar and bring to 191 the number of aircraft to be renewed (43 Super Jumbos and 28 extra triple sevens).
Emirates' investments, however, are not limited to the 'sky': on the ground, in fact, the airline has invested almost 12 million for the opening of new property lounges (at London-Stansted and Jeddah airports), as well as to renovate existing ones (as in the case of the hall located at CDG).
