Over 40% of Emirates Aircraft To Feature Premium Economy

Emirates chose the Dubai Air Show to announce that it would be installing its premium economy product on an additional 105 aircraft.

The news comes almost a year after the airline inaugurated the cabin on an A380 from Dubai (DXB) to London (LHR) on January 4, 2021.

Premium economy has been a success for Emirates, hence the decision to introduce it on so many more aircraft.

“Since we introduced our Premium Economy seats a year back, we’ve received a hugely positive response,” said Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates.

Let’s review what we know so far.

Emirates Premium Economy Retrofit

In its announcement, Emirates outlined plans to start the retrofit — which is expected to last around 18 months — towards the end of 2022.

The rollout will see the new premium economy cabin coming to the airline’s Boeing 777s for the first time, with 53 of the aircraft type to be retrofitted.

In addition to the 6 Airbus A380s that will feature premium economy by the end of 2021, 52 more will also be retrofitted with the cabin.

Passengers can expect seats with up to 40 inches of pitch, a width of 19.5 inches, and a total recline of 8 inches. That’s not to forget the added comfort of a foot and calf rest.

In terms of entertainment, Emirates’ premium economy cabins boast 13.3-inch screens that are said to be some of the largest in their class.

By the time the retrofit is complete, 53 of 144 Boeing 777s and 58 of 119 Airbus A380s will feature the cabin — that’s 43% of Emirates’ fleet of 264 aircraft.

The Boeing 777 aircraft will feature 24 premium economy seats between the business and economy class cabins. On the A380, there will be 56 premium economy seats at the front of the main deck. The seat configuration of both aircrafts’ cabins will be 2-4-2.

According to the airline, passengers will be able to experience the A380s with premium economy on flights between New York (JFK) to Dubai (DXB) by the end of December 2021, joining major European hubs such as Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), and Paris (CDG)

However, emriates.com currently doesn’t give the option to book premium economy. The drop-down menu for selecting flights only displays economy, business class, and first class. The same can be said when searching for flights using search engines.

A New Business Class Teaser

Sir Clark also whispered of a potential overhaul of the airline’s business class on its Boeing 777 aircraft that would include customized seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

“More details will be revealed in due course,” said Sir Clark.

Hot Tip: Check out the best ways to book Emirates business class using points in our step-by-step guide!

Final Thoughts

Premium economy is the perfect way to fly in more comfort without breaking the bank.

By installing premium economy on more of its jets, Emirates is giving its passengers what they want, and raising the stakes against competitors who already offer premium economy on the same routes.