Emirates Brings Retrofit Premium Economy To A380 Upper Deck

Emirates has successfully reconfigured its first two-class Airbus A380 into a three-cabin layout. For the first time, the airline is bringing Premium Economy seating to the aircraft upper deck as part of its aircraft overhaul program.

The newly refurbished aircraft, registered A6-EUX, has already operated a flight from Dubai to Birmingham, UK, featuring new interiors with Emirates’ latest products in three cabin classes: 76 business class seats, 56 premium economy seats, and 437 economy class seats.

The premium economy cabin offers leather seating in a 2-3-2 configuration with features including full leg and footrests, six-way adjustable headrests, built-in charging ports, side cocktail tables, and a 13.3 in. personal entertainment screen alongside what Emirates describes as an “elevated dining experience.”

This aircraft is the first of 15 two-class A380s Emirates plans to renovate under the program.

Emirates President Tim Clark called the reconfiguration a demonstration of the airline’s internal engineering capabilities. “The reconfiguration of our two-class A380 into a three-class layout that brings our popular premium economy seating onto the upper deck illustrates the extensive capabilities of our team,” he said.

The retrofit work is managed entirely in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai, with a team of around 270 staff delivering roughly two refurbished aircraft per month. To date, the program has overhauled 95 aircraft—42 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s—representing more than a third of the airline’s current fleet.

First announced in 2021, the retrofit program has grown considerably in ambition. An initial target of 120 aircraft was expanded to 191 by May 2024, before being scaled up again to 219 aircraft later that year.

Clark said the program has “raised the bar at every step in terms of complexity, scale and detailed craftsmanship.”