Emirates extends latest cabin experience to more cities worldwide

Emirates is clearly accelerating its Premium Economy rollout and fleet modernization strategy. Here are the key highlights from their latest deployment and retrofit plan:

A380 Retrofit Program
- First high-density two-class A380 reconfigured into three classes (76 Business, 56 Premium Economy, 437 Economy).
- Debuts on Dubai–Amman (EK903/904) from 14 April–31 May, then moves to Prague (EK139/140) from 1 June.
- All 15 two-class A380s expected to be retrofitted by November 2026.

Europe & North America
- New York JFK: Four-class retrofitted A380 on EK201/202 from 1 April (4x weekly), daily from 1 June.
- Zurich: Four-class A380 with Premium Economy from 1 March (1500+ weekly PE seats).
- Milan: Three-class retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR with Premium Economy from 10 May.
- Dublin: Three-class retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR from 25 October; all 21 weekly flights will feature Premium Economy.

Asia
- Ho Chi Minh City: Three-class retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR from 1 May (600+ weekly PE seats).
- Hong Kong: Upgrade from 777-300ER to A380 on 1 October, then retrofitted A380 with Premium Economy from 1 December.
- Guangzhou: Three-class A380 on EK362/363 from 1 October.

Africa
- Entebbe: New A350 deployment from 29 March.

Middle East
- Basra: Retrofitted four-class Boeing 777-300ER from 1 May, Premium Economy available on all five weekly flights.

Indian Ocean
- Mauritius: Retrofitted three-class Boeing 777-200LR from 29 March.

Strategic Takeaways
- Emirates is standardizing Premium Economy across major hubs in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
- The retrofit program ensures consistency of product offering, especially on high-demand routes.
- The introduction of the A350 in Entebbe signals Emirates’ gradual diversification beyond the A380 and 777 backbone.
- By late 2026, Premium Economy will be widely available across Emirates’ long-haul network, positioning the airline competitively against peers like Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, and British Airways.