Long live A380 and 777-300ER! 777X delayed and Emirates announces upgrade of 111 more airplanes in fleet
In Emirates' plans there is, as recently stated to chairman Tim Clark, the intention to fly Airbus A380s at least [...]
Emirates
DXB
United Arab Emirates
In Emirates' plans there is, as recently stated to chairman Tim Clark, The intention to fly Airbus A380s at least until the end of the next decade. As for the Boeing 777-300ERs, their replacement with 777Xs should have already begun if Boeing had met its original delivery schedule. Instead, it is highly likely that the first example of the 2.0 version of the Triple Seven will not arrive in Dubai until 2028.
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The carrier just a few hours ago reiterated its confidence in the program, adding to its previous orders an order for 65 more aircraft during the first day of the Dubai Airshow, bringing the total to 205 airplanes. But it is obvious that it will be several years before the company can retire the 777-300ERs it has in its fleet without jeopardizing the growth of its network and places offered.
For this, Emirates announced that, starting in August 2026, 60 more Airbus A380s and 51 more Boeing 777-300ERs will receive cabin upgrades which will include the installation of new seats, faster wifi thanks to Starlink, and a more advanced in-flight entertainment system.
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In detail, Business Class on the A380 and Boeing 777 will feature Safran's S Lounge leather seats, which are already on the A350 fleet with wireless charging built into the side table, customizable lights and ICE entertainment in 4K.
Economy Class passengers will benefit from the introduction of new, lightweight Safran Z400 seats, designed specifically for long-range operations, with an eight-way adjustable headrest for neck and head support.
The A380 and 777 cabin retrofit program had been initiated by Emirates in 2021 with the initial upgrade of 120 aircraft, later extended to 191 in May 2024 and to 219 at the end of that same year.
However, the program is progressing at a remarkably slow pace, if we consider that To date, only 76 aircraft have received the upgrade (Emirates states that it takes 22 days for surgery on the A380s and 18 days for that on each 777), but it is quite likely that the delayed arrival of the 777Xs has prevented the carrier from simultaneously 'taking' more aircraft out of service for upgrade (which obviously does not affect the A350s in the fleet).
