Emirates is investing up to £3.8bn ($5 bn) to overhaul the interior on 220 of its Boeing 777 and Airbus A380s to keep older aircraft flying for longer. The airline and the industry has been plagued with delivery delays for newer jets.
“We’ve had to take control of our own destiny,” Emirates president Tim Clark said on the sidelines of the ITB trade fair in Berlin on Wednesday. “I could see the problems on the horizon, so we took the decision then, and thank God we did.” Emirates has one of the youngest fleets in the world, made up of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. The fleet is known for its modern and comfortable aircraft which are often not kept flying as long as other airlines would.
However, the airline has been forced to change this business model as Emirates battles delays in growing its network and fleet. To continue to be the “lead of product development,” Emirates has been forced to compromise and upgrade older aircraft.
220 aircraft have been selected across the 777 and Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial aircraft, to receive a makeover.
The A380 is a whopping 72.7 meters long, which is longer than two blue whales placed end to end. Its wingspan is wider than a football field at 80 meters.
It is believed the Airbus A380s will be operational until the early 2040s.
Mr Clark said: “We have no choice. This one is the only way we could sustain the network, grow the network.
“The engineering groups are working at a pace to get these aircraft turned around as quickly as possible. We have most of the parts now that we need to do it.”
He added that Emirates “certainly” will not receive delivery of Boeing’s long delayed 777X in 2025 as the latest model of the popular wide-body plane is still waiting final certification.
Issues with supply chains, engine maintenance and delivery delays at Boeing are set to continue well into this year.
Boeing originally planned to deliver Emirates its 777X in 2020 before certification delays and the pandemic. Now, according to Bloomberg, deliveries of the upcoming 777X aircraft could be delayed until at least the second quarter of 2027 or even 2028.
In January, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed on a call that German airline Lufthansa would be the first carrier to receive a 777X delivery in 2026.
