With its bare black interior and pipes running through its sides, the Emirates A380 looked nothing like the luxurious aircraft the world knows. But this is where the magic happens. The entire aircraft is cleaned, fixed and then fitted with a modern-looking interior.
It was in 2022 that Emirates began to refurbish its planes in what was dubbed the largest retrofit project in the world. This ambitious multibillion-dollar project sees the airline’s engineering staff work tirelessly and complete a thorough rework of the plane to make it more suited to modern standards.
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With US plane-maker Boeing further delaying the delivery of planes to Emirates, the airline expanded its retrofit project earlier this year to include an additional 43 A380s and 28 B777s aircraft.
“The entire operation takes places here at our 500,000sqm facility,” said John Walker, VP for base maintenance at EK Engineering. “We have completed about 30 aircraft now. The retrofit of the Boeing 777 will begin on Monday.”
Here is a sneak peek at what happens inside the retrofit programme:
Stripped down
Every element inside the plane is stripped down to its bare black interiors.
During this time, every inch of the the interior and exterior is checked diligently. The entire process of retrofitting an A380 takes approximately 21 days.
Working on ‘giant puzzle’
The experienced engineers take apart each cabin piece by piece and put them back together “like a giant puzzle,” according to Walker. From removing seats and panelling to bolts and screws, every action is completed with precision.
Retrofitted
Once the work inside the plane is completed, the Business and Economy Class seats are repainted, re-trimmed and re-upholstered with new covers and cushioning. In the First Class suites, the leather, arm rests and other materials are replaced as well.
Repurposing seat covers
The seat covers, made from 95 per cent wool and 5 per cent nylon, are taken apart by a team of talented tailors and carefully woven into various types of bags.
These are then distributed among charitable entities, schools, orphanages, and foundations across Africa and Asia.
Emirates believes in recycling and reusing everything. The airline has begun repurposing more than 50,000 kilograms of materials to produce thousands of handmade children’s backpacks and school bags.
Transforming the cabins
Once all the upgrades are finished, these seats and new fittings are reinstalled into the plane, giving it a brand-new look. Emirates is moving towards a contemporary look with a lighter colour scheme for the seats. The trademark cherrywood is also replaced with a lighter wood.
Here’s how the space looks before and after the upgrade:
Checking pilot seats
Apart from the retrofit, Emirates also regularly services its planes and ensures that stringent safety checks are conducted. The pilot seats are checked and cushioned to make it as comfortable and safe as possible.
Here’s a view of the stripped-down cockpit:
Testing the slides
The emergency slides — which are designed to allow patients to slide to safety in case of an emergency — are also regularly tested. According to safety standards, they must inflate within six seconds of being activated and these are tested within the Emirates engineering facility.
Packing a survival kit
Every plane is equipped with emergency supply packs that have a survival kit. Some of the items inside are: A high-protein bar, a flare to attract attention if stranded, a survival manual, and a manual hand pump.