100 aircraft, 44 months and 4.4 million man hours: Emirates’ retrofit programme marks major milestone
More than half of 219 aircraft set for completion by December 2026
DUBAI – Emirates has reached a landmark with the refurbishment of its 100th aircraft under what it describes as the largest known retrofit programme undertaken by any airline globally.
Since work began in November 2022, the airline has transformed 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s through complete nose-to-tail cabin refurbishments at its Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai. The milestone comes as the carrier continues to invest $5 billion in modernising its fleet and enhancing the onboard experience across every cabin.
By the end of December 2026, around 20 additional aircraft are expected to undergo the upgrade, taking the programme well beyond the halfway point of the 219 aircraft scheduled for refurbishment.
Major upgrade
Over the past 44 months, Emirates Engineering has deployed more than 400 engineers and technicians, who have collectively invested 4.4 million man hours in transforming 100 wide-body aircraft. Each refurbishment includes a sophisticated cabin upgrade, with every aircraft fitted with a new Premium Economy cabin.
As part of the programme, more than 3,800 Premium Economy seats have been installed, helping Emirates expand the availability of the cabin class across more destinations in its global network. The rollout gives more customers access to the airline's increasingly popular Premium Economy product.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said the airline's commitment to delivering best-in-class products across every cabin remains an ongoing effort.
"Our commitment to deliver best-in-class products across every cabin is an ongoing endeavour, and completing full cabin retrofits for 100 wide-body aircraft in 44 months is a significant achievement. Backed by a US$5 billion investment, it ensures our customers 'fly better,' with elevated luxury, comfort, and thoughtful detail throughout each cabin," he said.
He added that carrying out a project of such scale and complexity entirely in-house required exceptional planning, precision, craftsmanship and technical capability in Dubai.
"Our team has completely rewritten the rulebook on retrofitting the two largest passenger aircraft in commercial aviation to make sure that every aircraft returns to the skies on schedule and in impeccable shape," Sir Tim Clark said.
Engineering scale
Since the programme began in November 2022, Emirates Engineering has retrofitted an average of 28 aircraft each year. During every upgrade, engineers completely dismantle the aircraft interiors before carrying out extensive refurbishment work across all cabins using more than 4,000 parts for each Airbus A380 and more than 2,500 parts for every Boeing 777.
The scale of the programme has also led the engineering team to develop a range of innovative operational solutions. These include modified catering trucks operating inside hangars to transport large aircraft components between the retrofit workshop and the aircraft.
Alongside zonal work progress tracking systems and specialised parts storage and retrieval procedures, the team has designed and manufactured dedicated equipment to move components efficiently and provide access to every section of the aircraft interior. Emirates Engineering has worked with more than 100 suppliers to deliver the extensive programme.
Programme growth
Emirates first announced its retrofit programme in November 2021, initially covering 105 aircraft from its fleet. The first aircraft, an Airbus A380, entered the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai for refurbishment in November 2022.
Strong customer demand prompted the airline to expand the initiative to 191 aircraft by May 2024 before increasing the total to 219 aircraft later that year. In August 2024, the first Boeing 777 retrofitted in Dubai entered commercial service.
In May 2026, Emirates Engineering completed the conversion of an A380 from a two-class to a three-class configuration, a project involving significant structural modifications, including the installation of a Premium Economy cabin on the aircraft's upper deck for the first time.
Focus on sustainability
The retrofit programme will enter another phase from October 2026 with the installation of 4K OLED HDR10+ seatback display screens, alongside new lightweight Safran Z400 seats and additional product enhancements.
In line with Emirates' sustainability commitment, thousands of kilograms of high-grade leather, fabrics and other materials removed during the refurbishment process are being upcycled into limited-edition collector products under the 'Aircrafted by Emirates' range. The airline has also distributed more than 4,000 backpacks made from repurposed Economy Class seat fabric to children across 11 countries.