Emirates has completed the first retrofit of an Airbus A380 previously configured in two classes, converting it to a three-class layout with the addition of a Premium Economy cabin on the upper deck.
The refurbished aircraft, registered A6-EUX, re-entered service on the Dubai–Birmingham route under flights EK39/40 on 20 May 2026. It is the first of 15 two-class A380s in the Emirates fleet scheduled to be converted by the end of 2026 as part of the airline’s wide-ranging cabin modernization program.
The new configuration features 76 Business Class seats, 56 Premium Economy seats and 437 Economy Class seats. On the upper deck, the retrofit involved the removal of 120 Economy Class seats to accommodate the 56-seat Premium Economy cabin and 18 additional Business Class seats. The Premium Economy section is laid out in a 2-3-2 configuration.
The project is managed in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai. The first conversion required about two months of work, and subsequent aircraft are expected to be completed in roughly 30 days each as processes are optimized.
This milestone forms part of a broader retrofit program valued at 5 billion dollars, targeting 219 aircraft across the fleet. To date, 95 aircraft have already been refurbished, including 42 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s. Emirates plans to offer more than 2 million Premium Economy seats per year by the end of 2025, increasing to 4 million by the end of 2026.