Emirates has reached a landmark 100 aircraft refurbished under its retrofit programme, the largest known undertaken by any airline globally. Since work began in November 2022, 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s have been given a complete nose-to-tail refresh at the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai.
By the end of December 2026, around 20 additional aircraft will be upgraded, moving the airline significantly past the halfway point in its US$ 5 billion investment aimed at delivering a consistently elevated experience to customers.
Over a period of 44 months, the Emirates Engineering team has deployed more than 400 engineers and technicians, investing a collective 4.4mn man hours to transform 100 aircraft and deliver a sophisticated upgrade across the cabin interiors of all the aircraft.
Rewriting the rulebook
“Our team has completely rewritten the rulebook on retrofitting the two largest passenger aircraft in commercial aviation to make sure that every aircraft returns to the skies on schedule and in impeccable shape,” commented Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline.
More recently, in May 2026, the Emirates Engineering team completed the two to three class retrofit of an A380, a project involving important structural changes to the aircraft.
In line with its commitment to sustainability, thousands of kilograms of high-grade leather, fabrics and other materials removed from retrofitted aircraft are being upcycled into a variety of limited-edition collector pieces.
