Travellers who want a more comfortable flying experience can look forward to Emirates’ premium economy seats in the near future as more retrofitted aircraft with refreshed cabins start taking off.
Afzal Parambil, Emirates Regional Manager for Southern Africa, told Travel News that the roll-out of its premium economy product across long-haul routes is gathering pace. Today, the airline has 22 A380 aircraft fitted with premium economy cabins, which will fly to 14 cities by the end of this year. So far, over 160 000 passengers have experienced Emirates’ premium economy since it was introduced in August 2022.
“The intention is for premium economy to be operated on the South African route, which we plan to make available as soon as more aircraft fitted with the cabin enter scheduled service,” he said.
Premium economy will be an important part of Emirates’ future, not only for the product mix they offer, but also for its competitive advantage across different markets and appealing to a wide range of customer segments, explains Parambil. He describes the demand for premium economy in the markets it currently operates as being “incredible” and has exceeded the airline’s expectations and forecasts. The same is expected for South Africa.
Meanwhile, Emirates has confirmed that it will introduce its premium economy cabin on its São Paulo route from November 19 and to Tokyo Narita from December 20.
São Paulo will be the airline’s fifth route in its North and South American network to include a premium economy cabin, while Tokyo Narita will become the second in its Far East network, growing the number of routes offering premium economy to 14.
Currently, Emirates operates daily flights between São Paulo and Dubai, however, from November 19, passengers can book premium economy seats on flights EK261 and EK262, which will operate thrice weekly.
From December 20, premium economy seats will be offered on daily flights EK318 and EK319 between Dubai and Tokyo Narita.
To ensure it operates at optimum capacity, Emirates has confirmed that it is on track to start receiving 50 Airbus A350s from August 2024. The A350s will enable Emirates to serve a range of new markets as its focus shifts to routes that have not previously been served in the past. The airline will also welcome a Boeing 777X to its fleet from 2025.
“We will have 24 new aircraft deliveries per year on average until 2027. These will be new aircraft types to our fleet mix. We’re excited for its arrival and what is in store when it comes to expanding our network and resuming our growth trajectory, keeping our fleet fresh and young and offering better experiences for our fliers,” Parambil concludes.
