Emirates unveils refurbished four-cabin 777 aircraft as it strives to stay ahead of the competition

Emirates has unveiled its refurbished 777s that will now have first-class suites, personal mini bars in business and better seats in economy on select routes | WATCH THE VIDEO

Emirates has unveiled its refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft to be used on Melbourne services in the face of increasing competition from rival Qatar Airways.

Featuring four cabins after the addition of premium economy, the 777 has been fitted with Emirates’ new “game-changer” first-class suites and a remodelled business cabin.

Instead of the 2-3-2 configuration of business class in older 777s, Emirates’ refurbished aircraft has installed a 1-2-1 layout for the cabin, with individual minibars.

The popular premium economy cabin from Emirates’ A380s has been replicated in the 777, and the economy cabin refreshed with 256 new seats in the same 3-4-3 format.

Emirates regional sales manager Dean Cleaver said the $5bn fleet refurbishment was undertaken due to the delayed delivery of new 777X aircraft.

Ordered in 2014, Boeing has repeatedly pushed back the delivery date, and the first aircraft is now not expected to arrive until late 2026 or early 2027.

The six first-class suites offer floor-to-ceiling privacy doors, soft leather seats, mood lighting and a personal temperature controller.

Emirates’ first-class suites on refurbished 777s are more like small apartments.

The middle suites also feature industry-first virtual windows, projected on high-definition screens, allowing all passengers to enjoy the views above the clouds.

There are binoculars provided, well-stocked minibars and an enormous in-flight entertainment screen along with a tablet to help turn the seat into a lie-flat bed.

Two cabin crew are assigned to look after the six first-class passengers and a crew member revealed the suites were regularly booked out despite the $9400 price tag for a one-way flight to Dubai.

“The typical first-class passenger has changed a lot in recent years,” said the crew member who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“We’re seeing much younger people often with children, who make their money as influencers or through cryptocurrency, or tech.”

The new business-class cabin was expected to be well received with the addition of a “small bar” for snacks and refreshments throughout the flight, a 52.5cm-wide seat and a 58cm in-flight entertainment screen.

The new-look economy cabin on Emirates’ 777 aircraft.

Three cabin crew are assigned to the premium economy cabin, which has 24 seats to provide a higher level of service, and up to 11 crew are assigned to the 256-seat economy cabin.

Next-generation seats in economy have an 84cm seat pitch and 15cm recline function, plus a 33cm seat back screen.

Mr Cleaver said the decision to send one of the first refurbished 777s to Melbourne was based on the Victorian capital’s long history with Emirates.

“When Emirates first started flying to Australia in 1996, our first gateway was Melbourne so next year will mark 30 years of flying here,” Mr Cleaver said.

“Of course it’s also home to one of our longest partnerships, with Collingwood Football Club, and we’re very proud we’ve been a partner of the Australian Open (tennis) since 2015.”

The launch of the new product on the 777 came ahead of Qatar Airway’s third daily flight from Melbourne starting in December, matching Emirates’ schedule.

Qatar partner Virgin Australia will market and sell the additional flight, in line with the airlines’ wet lease agreement that will also see extra services from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth starting in June.

Emirates has added a premium economy cabin to its 777 aircraft.

Strong demand for international flights is helping to fuel greater capacity and new routes; United Airlines on Thursday announced it will begin a San Francisco-Adelaide service from December.

In the first instance, the three-flights-a-week service will operate on a seasonal basis from December to March with the possibility of going all year around as demand grows.

It will be the first time Adelaide residents have had the opportunity to fly non-stop to the US, and United will use a Boeing 787-9 on the route with 257 seats, including 48 in business and 21 premium economy.

Adelaide local Adele Eliseo of the Champagne Mile said it was a strong show of confidence in the South Australian travel market, particularly around demand for premium travel.

“It positions Adelaide as firmly part of the long-haul conversation,” Ms Eliseo said.

The new route is likely to be watched closely by Qantas, which hasn’t flown internationally out of Adelaide since 2013.

Ms Eliseo said a return to Adelaide by Qantas was “understood to be under consideration” but any restart was likely to be a few years away.

“The most likely option on the table is a short-to-mid-haul route into Asia, such as Adelaide to Singapore,” she said.

“Early indications suggest this route would be operated by a narrowbody aircraft, potentially without lie-flat, international-grade, business-class seat.”

Originally published as Emirates unveils refurbished four-cabin 777 aircraft as it strives to stay ahead of the competition