Emirates airline's first reconfigured two-class Airbus A380 completed its inaugural commercial flight between Dubai and Birmingham on Wednesday. The aircraft used for flights EK39/EK40 is the first of 15 A380s in the Emirates fleet that has been transformed from a two-class layout into a three-class configuration with the addition of premium economy. The revamped plane now features 76 business class seats, 56 premium economy seats and 437 economy seats, alongside refreshed interiors across all cabins including new carpets, ceiling panels, updated colour palettes and wood finishes with hand-stencilled panels featuring ghaf, the UAE's national tree. The lounge in the newly retrofitted A380, which went from two cabin classes to three. Photo: EmiratesInfoThe airline’s award-winning premium economy cabin, previously unavailable on two-class A380s, includes leather seats in a 2-3-2 configuration with better recline, adjustable headrests, charging ports and upgraded in-flight meals. Emirates first debuted its retrofitted A380s in 2023, featuring four cabin classes including first class, with refreshed interiors and premium economy cabins on EK003 departing Dubai for London Heathrow. It was part of the airline's multibillion-dollar retrofit programme, the largest of its kind in aviation history. Business class has 18 additional seats in the new A380 plane. Photo: EmiratesInfoEmirates initially planned to refurbish 120 aircraft, but later widened the project to 219, including both Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. So far, Emirates Engineering has completed work on 95 aircraft, including 42 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s. By the end of the year, 15 of the airline's two-class A380 aircraft are expected to undergo the conversion.Economy class in the newly retrofitted A380 aircraft. Photo: EmiratesInfoAccording to Emirates, the first retrofit required about 35,000 man-hours by a team of 50 engineers and technicians, using more than 2,500 different types of parts. The latest project required far more extensive structural modifications. Emirates Engineering removed 120 economy seats from the upper deck to make space for the 56 premium economy seats and 18 additional seats in business class. The work also involved repositioning galley modules, overhead bins, partitions and associated electrical and plumbing systems. “The retrofit programme revolves around the premise that we will offer our customers a truly elevated experience every time they choose to travel with us,” said Tim Clark, president of Emirates airline.