The Striking Differences Between Emirates First Class & Business Class On The Airbus A380 In 2026

Emirates says it has completed the first retrofit of two of its previously two-class Airbus A380s, marking progress in its multi-billion-dollar cabin upgrade program. The reconfigured aircraft will operate with a three-class layout: 76 Business Class seats, 56 Premium Economy seats, and 437 Economy Class seats. Emirates expects the full retrofit program to be completed by November of this year, with work managed in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai. So far, Emirates has upgraded 95 aircraft, including 42 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s—more than a third of its fleet. The carrier is installing entirely new Business Class seats for these A380s, using the Safran S Lounge product already introduced on its A350s. One upgraded aircraft, A6-EUX, has entered service on EK39/40 between Dubai and Birmingham.