Emirates To Send Upgraded 777s To More Cities

Emirates is continuing efforts to overhaul its fleet with the announcement that more retrofitted 777s will begin flying to global cities.

From 14 April 2025, the carrier confirms that it’ll offer service with its four-class Boeing 777 on EK324/EK325 from Dubai to Seoul in South Korea. This flight will take place thrice weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Thanks to this deployment, Emirates confirms that Seoul will become the second destination in the Eastern part of Asia to receive the newly retrofitted cabin.

As a result, from July 2025, Emirates says it’ll offer 3,150 weekly Premium Economy seats to Eastbound markets, focusing on Southeast Asia and East Asia thanks to its retrofit program.

The Premium Economy product will be featured on the Boeing 777 and the world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, which has been involved in a billion-dollar retrofit process.

Therefore, markets featuring the Premium Economy experience will include Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo-Haneda, Osaka, Singapore, Seoul, and Shenzhen.  

Meanwhile, away from Seoul, the airline has confirmed that London Stansted will become the third destination in the United Kingdom, joining Heathrow and Edinburgh to welcome the latest generation cabin product.

London Stansted will welcome the retrofitted Boeing 777 from 7 May, 2025 and will join a host of other markets across Europe that feature the enhanced onboard cabin experience.

Emirates says that its retrofitted 777 jets feature four classes, from new premium economy cabins to refreshes throughout to enhance customer experience.

The latest business class product is also featured. Arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, all seats have direct aisle access, and the Dubai-based carrier is putting a great deal of emphasis on privacy for each suite, something most customers look to expect nowadays.

A Massive Investment For Emirates

Emirates’ investment in the retrofit program is expensive but crucial. The carrier says it is investing up to USD 5 billion to overhaul its interior products across its fleet.

However, this investment has become a higher priority because the airline has been unable to take delivery of next-generation planes on time, meaning more focus has been required on its current fleet.

The process, which involves some 220 aircraft in the Emirates fleet, aims to pivot away from the company’s typical business model, which has seen it rely primarily on a youthful fleet.

Emirates is battling delays in growth targets and also fleet renewal forecasting. The Dubai-based carrier cannot compete with other established carriers if it doesn’t begin this major retrofit program.

The airline’s president, Sir Tim Clark, reaffirmed this stance, saying drastic measures must be taken to ensure it can remain competitive.