At a cost of 7.34 billion dirhams

Emirates Airlines: Completion of the renewal and modernization of 67 Airbus A380 aircraft by 2024

• Emirates Airlines aims to renew 2.6 to 3 aircraft per month.

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• Adel Al-Reda: “The program includes completely modernizing the interior cabins and installing the latest premium economy class seats.”

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The chief operating officer of Emirates Airlines, Adel Al-Ridha, said, "The (carrier's) plans and preparations to implement its huge program, which includes modernizing 120 aircraft within its fleet, began in July 2021," noting that "in November of last year, work began on The first A380 aircraft, which was completed and put into service, after it was completely renovated at the beginning of this year.

And he indicated that the program includes completely modernizing the interior cabins and installing the latest premium economy class seats.

Al-Ridha said, in an interview with local media in Dubai, yesterday, that "the modernization program is the largest in terms of cost and number of aircraft in the history of the industry during a specific time frame period, as it costs two billion US dollars (7.34 billion dirhams)," noting that “By 2024, all 67 A380 aircraft designated for modernization will return to service.”

He added that after the completion of the Airbus A380 fleet, Emirates Airlines will then begin work on modernizing 53 Boeing 777 aircraft included in the program, which is expected to be completed in mid-2025, pointing out that the goal of the huge program is, Upgrading the product, as updates to the aircraft, within the program, improve the travel experience in all classes.

And Al-Rida stated, “The idea of ​​the modernization program started due to the delay in the (carrier) receiving some of the aircraft, which were scheduled to receive them in the years 2021 and 2023, of the (Boeing 777X and Airbus A350) models,” indicating that it was important to find alternative solutions to fill This gap is within the framework of providing high-quality travel services and experiences on aircraft within the airline's fleet.

He stressed that the ambitious project, which is managed by the engineering team at Emirates Airlines, comes within the framework of ensuring "permanent excellence" for the company's customers during the coming years, pointing out that the Emirates Engineering Center has established workshops dedicated to this project, indicating that the aircraft, and after the completion of the renovation process It will feature the latest Emirates products and interiors in all cabins, bright new colors in carpets and wall panels, in addition to light-colored wood finishes, and the distinctive "Ghaf" tree drawing of Emirates Airlines will appear prominently in various interior designs.

And he indicated that the time period for completing the renewal process on each aircraft is about 15 days for the Airbus A380, and about 8 days for the Boeing 777, explaining that in addition to hiring 190 new employees for the project, Emirates Airlines is working with 62 partners and suppliers. Presidents, who also employed hundreds of skilled personnel, to accomplish the largest known aircraft modernization program in the commercial aviation industry.

He pointed out that "modernization operations are carried out in the engineering department of Emirates Airlines, in the facilities of Dubai and Al Maktoum International Airports," noting that after several months of careful planning and detailed testing on the "A380" aircraft, Emirates Airline engineers stored and ordered 2,200 pieces, and the team hurried Procurement raised 12.6 thousand purchase orders for the initial phase of the program, and the Emirates Engineering Center established workshops dedicated to this project and provided them with the necessary parts and equipment.

Al-Rida stated, "The first aircraft took 56 days to work on, as several things were taken into account," pointing out that, according to the plan, Emirates Airlines aims to renew 2.6 to three aircraft every month, but that also depends on the ability of the companies we deal with in the field. Provide us with the required parts.

And he indicated that teams of engineers and technicians have, around the clock, completely dismantled the interior cabins of the first “A380” and reassembled them again, in a carefully planned and tested sequence, and thousands of parts will be removed, replaced or modernized, including the “shower bathroom” that will be acquired. New color tones, with hand-painted Ghaf tree.

And he stated, “With the renewal operations carried out, we believe that the updated (Airbus A380) aircraft will remain until 2032,” indicating that scheduled flights will not be disrupted, because the modernization process takes place during the regular scheduled maintenance time for each aircraft.

He pointed out that the cost of renewing and modernizing one aircraft from (Airbus A380) amounts to about 15 million dollars (55 million dirhams), while it reaches 11 million dollars (40.1 million dirhams) for the "Boeing 777" model, indicating that the Emirates Engineering Center, He possesses the experience and professionalism that surpasses many international companies and facilities.

And he indicated that during the next fiscal year, there will be a need for about 500 technicians and engineers at the Emirates Airline Engineering Center, in addition to the jobs that were provided during the current fiscal year.

And he stated that, in general, “The Emirates Group continues to employ to support its operations, which are witnessing continuous growth after the end of the repercussions of the pandemic, with the opening of new stations and the introduction of more (Airbus 380) aircraft for service,” adding: “We expect in July of this year to operate About 90 aircraft are in service of this model, provided that the seat capacity reaches about 95% compared to pre-pandemic levels in March 2024.

He continued, "In addition to that, we are also studying changing the entertainment system on aircraft, and we expect it to include about 40 aircraft, as we have started talks to update the systems for some aircraft."

Employing 500 technicians and engineers at the Emirates Airline Engineering Center during the next fiscal year.

• "Emirates Airlines" will start work on modernizing 53 "Boeing 777" aircraft, which are included in the program, which is expected to be completed in mid-2025.

Economy class seats

Emirates Airlines Chief Operating Officer, Adel Al-Ridha, said, "The engineering teams implement a consistent process for each aircraft, as a team of engineers first removes the economy class seats located on the windows, which provides space for another team to remove the side panels from the interior cabin, and move These panels are sent directly to one of three purpose-built workshops, to be laminated in the latest Emirates colours. The 88 Economy Class seats at the front of the ground floor will also be removed to make way for 56 seats to be installed in the newly refurbished Premium Economy Class cabin, and carpets and floors will be replaced. In all cabins and facilities of the aircraft, before reinstalling the refurbished seats.

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