FIRST RETROFITTED EMIRATES A380 ENTERS SERVICE

LAST MONTH, Emirates confirmed that it had completed the retrofitting of the first of 67 A380 aircraft earmarked for the upgrade. The retrofitted superjumbo entered into service on the Dubai-Heathrow route and now features 56 of the airline’s premium economy seats, as well as refurbished first and business class seats. Work is slated to be completed on all 67 A380s by 2024. Engineers will work on two aircraft at a time, with one A380 withdrawn from service every eight days. Once work on the A380s concludes, Emirates will then turn its attention to its B777 fleet. In total, Emirates will retrofit 120 A380 and B777 aircraft by 2025 at a cost of US$2 billion.