Emirates To Commence Biggest Fleet Retrofit Project This November
Tuesday 23rd of August 2022
Emirates Airlines have announced that plans are underway to commence the biggest fleet retrofit project of the airline this November. The project is part of the company’s USD 2 billion investment to revamp up their services in an effort to enhance customer experience as per their slogan “Fly Better”.
This never-before done project is overseen by the Emirates Engineering team and will see the complete retrofit of 67 Airbus A320s and 53 Boeing 777 class commercial aircrafts, the two largest types currently in service in the world.
The project involves a total upgrading of the interior cabins and will see retrofit of four Emirates aircrafts each month for over 2 years. Starting initially with A380s and moving onto the 777s, the scope of the project involves the installation of 4000 new Premium Economy seats as well as the reconditioning of 728 First Class suites. Moreover, more than 5000 Business Class seats will receive a new look with upgraded styles and designs featured in the cabins. The project is set to complete in April 2025.
Additionally, carpets and stairs will be renovated too with cabin interior panels refurbished with brand-new tones and Ghaf tree motifs paying homage to UAE.
Since a such a large-scale project have not been conducted before, trials began on A380s in July with the whole process tested, timed and mapped out. This allowed engineers to identify possible impediments hindering the process and document the procedure for expert teams to review and address.
To cater for the project, purpose-built workshops have been established in Emirates Engineering to ease the repaint, re-trim and reupholster procedures of Business and Economy seats. The retrofit of First Class suites will be conducted by a specialized company who will replace the leather, arm rests and other components.
A cross-disciplinary team is currently working to review the planning process on a regular basis, address any issues faced and track updates of other aspects of the project such as procurement, staffing and training before the mega project begins in November.