This is the first of 15 two-class A380 aircraft in its fleet that Emirates will renovate as part of its commitment to offer customers a consistently superior experience in the sky.

Managed entirely in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai, the retrofit programme has so far completed work on 95 Emirates aircraft including 42 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s, representing more than one third of Emirates’ current fleet of aircraft.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “The Emirates retrofit programme revolves around the central premise that we will offer our customers a truly elevated experience every time they choose to travel with us. To this end, our engineering team has been working continuously and at pace in close collaboration with an ecosystem of partners and suppliers to meticulously refresh and integrate the best-in-class products to each aircraft in the programme. Our retrofit programme has raised the bar at every step, in terms of complexity, scale and detailed craftsmanship. The reconfiguration of our two-class A380 into three-class layout that brings our popular Premium Economy seating onto the upper deck illustrates the extensive capabilities of our team.”

Fleet First for Premium Economy

As part of the retrofit, Emirates’ award-winning Premium Economy cabin will be featured, for the first time, in the upper deck of the A380. Featuring spacious leather seats with generous recline in a 2-3-2 configuration, customers can enjoy features including full leg and footrests, 6-way adjustable headrests, built-in charging ports, side cocktail tables as well as elevated dining experiences and an unmatched entertainment system via a 13.3 inch personal screen.

Refreshed interiors across all cabins

The retrofitted three class A380 features upgraded interiors across all cabins including the latest generation seats and updated cabin finishings. From nose to tail, from fresh carpets to ceiling panels, Emirates’ new signature elements are evident throughout the cabin including modern colour palettes, specially designed Ghaf tree motifs as well as premium wood finishes.

The nuts and bolts of retrofitting the first two-class A380

During the retrofit, the entire cabin interior of A6-EUX was taken apart, refreshed and put back together with precision. The Emirates Engineering team had to carry out extensive modifications to the upper deck of the A380 aircraft by removing 120 Economy Class seats to accommodate 56 Premium Economy and an additional 18 Business Class seats. To support this change in configuration, the team had to undertake structural work to remove, upgrade and reposition galley modules, stowage areas, overhead bins, partitions and other cabin features along with associated changes to the electrical and plumbing systems in the aircraft.

It took a team of around 50 engineers and technicians investing an approximate 35,000 man-hours and utilising more than 2,500 different types of parts.

Emirates Engineering completed the retrofit of the first two-class A380 over a period of two months, including comprehensive planning and testing. With learnings from the first project integrated into future processes, retrofits of other two-class A380 aircraft are expected to take around half the time at 30 days. By the end of 2026, all 15 two-class A380 aircraft in the Emirates fleet will be retrofitted.

Evolution of the Emirates retrofit programme

The ambitious Emirates retrofit programme was first announced in 2021, emerging from a bold vision to ensure that Emirates’ signature standards of customer experience could be delivered consistently and seamlessly to customers across the world. 120 aircraft were initially slated to be refurbished under the first phase of the programme. However, by May 2024, based on the success of the programme and the positive feedback received from customers, the programme scope was expanded to 191 aircraft and then further scaled up to 219 aircraft later in the year. A dedicated team of around 270 staff ensure that on an average two refreshed aircraft emerge every month from the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai.

Consuming responsibly

In line with its commitment to minimise its environmental footprint, materials retrieved from the 219 Emirates A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft undergoing cabin retrofit are evaluated for repurposing as part of Emirates’ upcycling programme. This has resulted in successful initiatives including the “Aircrafted” range of limited-edition collector pieces such as luggage items; and “Aircrafted for Kids” backpacks made from repurposed Economy Class seat fabric. To date, around 4,000 Aircrafted for Kids backpacks have been donated to children across 10 countries.

Credits: Emirates

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For the financial year ended 31 March 2026, the Emirates Group reported:

record profit before tax (PBT) of AED 24.4 billion (US$ 6.6 billion), up 7% from last year, and a PBT margin of 16.2%
record revenue of AED 150.5 billion (US$ 41.0 billion), up 3% over last year’s results
record level of cash assets at AED 59.6 billion (US$ 16.2 billion), up 12% from last year
EBITDA of AED 41.1 billion (US$ 11.2 billion), reflecting its strong operating profitability.
Emirates retains its place as the world’s most profitable airline, reporting:
record profit before tax (PBT) of AED 22.8 billion (US$ 6.2 billion), up 7% from last year, and a PBT margin of 17.4%
record revenue of AED 130.9 billion (US$ 35.7 billion), an increase of 2% over last year
highest-ever level of cash assets at AED 54.9 billion (US$ 15.0 billion), 10% higher compared to 31 March 2025.
dnata delivered solid growth and performance across its business units, reporting:
record profit before tax (PBT) of AED 1.6 billion (US$ 437 million), up 2% from last year, and a PBT margin of 6.8%
record revenue of AED 23.6 billion (US$ 6.4 billion), up 12%
strong cash assets of AED 4.7 billion (US$ 1.3 billion), up by 28%.

Emirates Airline

During the year, Emirates launched 4 new destinations – Da Nang, Hangzhou, Siem Reap and Shenzhen; and added services to existing destinations to meet customer demand. By 31 March, Emirates’ global network spanned 152 cities in 80 countries. Emirates also grew its partnerships to 32 codeshare and 117 interline partners, providing customers smooth access to over 1,700 cities beyond its network.

Emirates grew its passenger fleet with the delivery of 15 Airbus A350 aircraft this year, enabling the airline to offer even more customers its latest products, including the popular Premium Economy Class and a new-generation inflight entertainment system. By 31 March, Emirates had 19 A350s in its fleet flying to 21 destinations. Total fleet count at year end was 277 units, with an average fleet age of 10.8 years.

At the 2025 Dubai Airshow, Emirates announced further fleet investments worth US$ 41.4 billion at list prices – for 65 more Boeing 777-9s and 8 more A350-900 aircraft. At 31 March, Emirates’ order book had 367 aircraft, comprising of: 54 A350s, 270 Boeing 777x, 35 787s, and 8 777Fs, with deliveries scheduled through to 2038.

By strategically deploying capacity to serve surging demand across markets, Emirates’ total revenue for the financial year increased 2% to AED 130.9 billion (US$ 35.7 billion).

Emirates carried 53.2 million passengers (down 1%) in 2025-26, with seat capacity down by 1%. The airline reports a Passenger Seat Factor of 78.4%, a marginal decline from 78.9% last year. Passenger yield was higher by 4% at 38.1 fils (10.4 US cents) per Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPKM).

Emirates continued to invest in delivering ever better customer experiences. In November, the airline announced a deal with Starlink to equip its fleet with high-speed Wi-Fi. Emirates quickly rolled out Starlink deployment, and by 31st March, 21 aircraft were already fitted and offering best-in-sky connectivity to customers, with more to follow.

During the year, the airline’s US$ 5.0 billion retrofit programme continued at pace. To date, 91 aircraft (out of 215 units earmarked) have completed a full cabin refresh, to feature Emirates’ latest inflight products including the popular Premium Economy seats.
Emirates SkyCargo delivered an outstanding year, carrying 2.4 million tonnes of goods around the world, up 3% from the previous year.

The delivery of 5 new Boeing 777 freighters during the year enabled the division to grow its freighter capacity by 13%.

Emirates SkyCargo reported a solid revenue of AED 16.2 billion (US$ 4.4 billion), contributing 12% to Emirates’ total revenue. Cargo yield per Freight Tonne Kilometre (FTKM) decreased by 3%, due to market pressure, and the impact of tariffs on trade particularly in eCommerce.

Overall, Emirates SkyCargo’s performance reflects the division’s ability to win customer preference through its suite of specialist logistics solutions, the power of Emirates’ global network, Dubai’s world-class intermodal logistics capabilities, and its ongoing investments in digital technology, infrastructure, and products.

During the year, SkyCargo expanded its freighter network to 44 points with the addition of Bangkok, Budapest, Liege, and Tokyo Narita; added frequency to existing freighter routes; and grew its trucking network.

At the end of March, Emirates’ SkyCargo’s total freighter fleet stood at 13 Boeing 777Fs, with 8 more units pending delivery.

In addition to 20 new aircraft deliveries during the year, Emirates also bought out 29 A380s and 5 Boeing 777s at the end of their leases. To support the fleet programme, Emirates raised AED 10 billion in aircraft financing via local and international markets, including Japanese operating leases, insurance‑backed financing, French Tax Lease and Export Credit Agency–backed structures.

Credits: Emirates

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