Emirates unveils A380 premium economy cabin

Emirates has released details of its new A380 premium economy product in addition to “enhancements and a refreshed look across all cabins onboard its newest A380 aircraft”.

The airline confirmed it was considering plans to retrofit its existing A380 fleet to feature the new product.

Emirates received its newest A380 aircraft from Airbus last week, with five more scheduled for delivery in 2021 and 2022. The carrier said the premium economy seats would also be installed on some of the Boeing 777X aircraft which are due to join its fleet in 2023.

The premium economy cabin offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout, with each seat 19.5 inches wide with a 40-inch pitch. Each seat has a 13.3? screen, described by Emirates as “one of the largest in its class”, in addition to in-seat charging points.

Emirates also confirmed its 14 First Class private suites have been “enhanced”, becoming slightly wider with taller doors, while seats in its business class and economy cabins have been updated to reflect those on its Boeing 777 aircraft.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said: “The Emirates A380 is already one of the most sought-after travel experiences in the skies, and now we’ve made it even better.

“While others cut back, Emirates is working hard to restore the products and services that we’ve had to suspend or adjust due to pandemic precautions and introduce new offerings and enhancements. True to our fly better promise, Emirates continues to invest to offer our customers the best possible experience.”

He added: “Our premium economy product was carefully developed in keeping with Emirates’ brand positioning as a full-service airline of the highest quality. Our first, business and economy experiences reset industry standards when they were introduced, and we are confident that our premium economy will also make its mark as a distinct premium offering.

“Until we have a viable number of seats in our inventory to bring to market, we plan to offer the Emirates Premium Economy experience as a complimentary upgrade to valued customers. We’ll also deploy our newest A380 aircraft on various routes so that our customers can experience our latest offering in all classes.”

Emirates said it would announce details of where its A380 aircraft with premium economy will be deployed “in the coming weeks”.