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Emirates Announces New Retrofitted B777 Destinations + A350 Delay

Emirates has announced the first set of destinations to be served by its refurbished Boeing 777s entering service on August 11, 2024. The refurbished B777s, featuring a new Business Class and a Premium Economy Cabin, will initially fly to Geneva, followed by Tokyo Haneda, and Brussels.

The first retrofitted Boeing 777 will be ready by August, following a comprehensive interior overhaul that begins on July 1.

Following the addition of the Premium Economy cabin, the Emirates Boeing 777-300/ER will offer four cabin classes, featuring 

  • 6 First Class suites
  • 38 Business Class seats in 1-2-1 configuration
  • 24 Premium Economy seats
  • 256 Economy Class seats
Emirates B777
Emirates Boeing 777

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, highlighted that these upgrades bring the Premium Economy experience to more destinations while enhancing Business Class with a new seat configuration. He emphasized that the refurbished cabins are inspired by the airline’s flagship A380, ensuring a higher level of comfort and design across both aircraft types.

“With the addition of the newly retrofitted Boeing 777s to our fleet, we’re capturing the opportunity to introduce our highly acclaimed products like Premium Economy to more cities already served by this aircraft type in our network, in addition to more seating variety in four classes. Borrowing inspiration from our flagship A380 in every cabin, our Boeing 777 with revamped interiors boasts the very best in customer comfort.”

Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates
a row of seats in a plane
Emirates Premium Economy

Refurbished B777 First Set of Destinations

The retrofitted B777s will initially serve Geneva from August 11, Tokyo Haneda from September 1, and Brussels from September 11.

The new Business Class seats are designed to offer enhanced privacy and comfort, with seats converting into flat beds and offering a range of features such as a 23-inch HD screen, personal mini-bar, and ample storage. The cabin also includes a small bar for snacks and refreshments.

a map of the world
Emirates’ Refurbished Boeing 777 Destinations. Image: GC Map

Emirates plans to refurbish a total of 81 Boeing 777s, with more destinations to be announced soon. This is part of a larger $3 billion retrofit program, which includes refurbishment of 191 aircraft, aiming to provide a consistent and high-quality experience across the fleet.

Currently, Emirates operates refurbished A380 aircraft fitted with Premium Economy on routes to major cities worldwide, including New York, London, Sydney, and Tokyo. By February 2025, the airline plans to offer Premium Economy to over 36 cities, supported by the introduction of new A350s and more refurbished A380s and Boeing 777s.

Emirates A350 Flights Delay

Due to supply chain delays, Emirates has delayed the launch of its Airbus A350 flights. Originally planned for September 15th, 2024, the first A350 flight will now take off in November 2024, delaying the much-awaited inaugural flight by two months.

a plane flying in the sky
Emirates Airbus A350

Here’s the breakdown of the revised launch schedule, as reported by AeroRoutes.

  • Dubai to Edinburgh (DXB-EDI): Starting November 4th, 2024 with one daily flight (remains unchanged).
  • Dubai to Bahrain (DXB-BAH): Starting November 15th, 2024 with flight EK839/EK840 (previously scheduled for September 15th, 2024). Another Bahrain service, EK837/EK838, is scheduled to start on January 1st, 2025.
  • Dubai to Kuwait City (DXB-KWI): Starting November 15th, 2024 with flight EK853/EK854 (previously scheduled for September 16th, 2024).
  • Dubai to Ahmedabad (DXB-AMD): Starting January 1st, 2025 with flight EK538/EK539 (previously scheduled for October 27th, 2024).
  • Dubai to Bologna (DXB-BLQ): Starting January 1st, 2025 with flight EK093/EK094 (previously scheduled for December 1st, 2024).
  • Dubai to Colombo (DXB-CMB): Starting January 2nd, 2025 with flight EK654/EK655. Frequency reduced from seven to six weekly flights (previously scheduled for January 1st, 2025).
  • Dubai to Lyon (DXB-LYO): Starting March 1st, 2025 with flight EK081/EK082 (previously scheduled for December 1st, 2024).
  • Dubai to Mumbai (DXB-BOM): Starting January 1st, 2025 with flight EK502/EK503 (previously scheduled for October 27th, 2024).
  • Dubai to Muscat (DXB-MCT): Starting March 1st, 2025 with flight EK866/EK867 (previously scheduled for December 1st, 2024).