The first of Emirates’ newly refurbished Boeing 777s has been brought back into service, taking off for a flight between Dubai (DXB) and Geneva (GVA) on August 7, 2024.
The aircraft had undergone a 37-day refit which involved as many as 175 engineers and technicians. Work was completed four days ahead of schedule.
This is the first aircraft of this type to receive Emirates’ new cabin interior as part of “Project Phoenix”, the airline’s $3 billion dollar program to refresh and upgrade the passenger experience onboard its long-haul fleet.
Emirates began the massive refitting project in November 2022 with its Airbus A380 fleet. As of August 2024, several dozen A380s have already received new cabin interiors. Project Phoenix is expected to run until the end of 2025.
The original plan called for 120 aircraft (67 A380s and 53 B777s) to undergo a thorough cabin refit. But in May 2024 it was announced that the program would be expanded to cover 191 aircraft with the inclusion of an additional 43 A380s and 28 Boeing 777 aircraft.
In addition to new seats and a color palette update, Emirates’ new cabins feature two rather significant novelties: a new layout of business class, with a 1-2-1 cabin configuration that provides direct aisle access to all passengers, as well as a new Premium Economy class.
Delays in certification and entry into service of the new Boeing 777X aircraft, of which Emirates has 205 on order, have led the Emirati airline to consider extending the operational life of some of its oldest B777s.
Emirates’ CEO Tim Clark mentioned that the airline may ask the US aircraft manufacturer to pay the cost of retrofitting some of the B777s that will remain in its fleet for a longer period than originally anticipated.
The next two destinations that Emirates will serve with newly refurbished B777 aircraft are Tokyo Haneda (HND) and Brussels (BRU).
