Emirates' First Refurbished B777 Takes Flight

Emirates‘ first retrofitted Boeing 777 returned to service this week (registered A6-EQH), sporting the Gulf Carrier’s latest cabins. That includes new Premium Economy and Business Class seating similar to those found on the Emirates superjumbo.

The nose-to-tail cabin refresh took the Emirates engineering team a total of 37 days to compete, with the aircraft entering service four days ahead of schedule.

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said the refurbished jet raised the industry benchmark for premium travel.

“Emirates continues to carry out our commitment to deliver an unmatchable onboard experience with the introduction of our latest Boeing 777 with new signature interiors,”.

Emirates’ Next Generation Business Class cabin on the B777 echos the colourway of the carrier’s A380 experience, with soft leather cream seats, wooden panelling and golden trimmings. The refined cabin is said to be warm and inviting, offering enhanced privacy for customers.

The new layout finally brings direct aisle access for every passenger, with a total of 38 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, down from 42 onboard older 777s. Each seat is 20.7 inches wide and converts to a spacious 78.6-inch (2 metre) bed.

While Emirates promised “modern technology touches” in their new seat, Bluetooth IFE streaming and wireless charging are both missing. The 23-inch HD screen is also not quite as impressive as is found onboard modern Business Class products with other airlines.

A new 24-seat Premium Economy cabin is found on the reconfigured Boeing 777, with three rows in a 2-4-2 layout. The cream leather seats are nearly identical to what’s found on the Emirates A380, great news as that happens to be one of the world’s best Premium Economy offerings.

Each seat is 19.5 inches wide, with a 38-inch pitch and 8 inches of recline.

Emirates first announced they would refresh their oldest Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 cabins in 2021, initially targeting 120 aircraft. The airline has since launched what it calls “the largest known retrofit programme the industry has seen,” – which sees 191 jets earmarked for a full facelift.

Under the revised plan, Emirates will update 110 A380s and 81 777s with their newest cabins.