Emirates will serve eight more cities with its retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft, including Johannesburg and Cape Town, which will be the first African destinations to be served with its premium economy product. Emirates is expanding the number of destinations served by the 777s with upgraded cabins as more aircraft roll out the retrofit program.
Premium economy to South Africa
More Emirates aircraft are being retrofitted with new cabins at an impressive pace, with an aircraft receiving its nose-to-tail facelift and rolling into service every three weeks. The next eight destinations to join the network are Lisbon, Dublin, Hong Kong, Male, Kolkata, Colombo, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.
South Africa will be the first African country to receive Emirates’ premium economy and refreshed business class cabins, reaffirming the country’s strategic importance as one of the continent’s major gateways. Emirates has been planning to introduce premium economy to South Africa since the introduction of the travel class.
Service to Johannesburg will start on September 1 on its daily EK765/766 flights and then on EK761/762 on September 25. Cape Town will start on September 20 on the daily EK770/771 flights. Speaking to Simple Flying last year, Emirates Regional Manager of Southern Africa Afzal Parambil said the airline had already seen strong demand and multiple inquiries for premium economy flights to South Africa.
Expanded service to South Africa
South Africa is by far one of Emirates’ most important markets. It has been serving the country from Dubai for almost 30 years. As of March 2025, the airline has up to six daily flights to South Africa across three destinations . The frequencies are as follows:
- Johannesburg: 3x daily (2x 777 and 1x A380)
- Cape Town: 2x daily (2x 777)
- Durban: 1x daily (1x 777)
They are all among Emirates’ longest nonstop routes to Africa. Given the distances to and from Dubai, Emirates expects premium economy to be in high demand. The cabin offers more comfortable seating, extra space and legroom, an elevated dining experience, and upgraded entertainment.
The retrofitted 777s also feature Emirates’ new business class , with flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and personal mini-bars. All cabins received interior upgrades with modern color palettes, specially designed Ghaf Tree motifs and wood finishes.
Other destinations on the radar
Two more European destinations will be served with the new aircraft featuring the new business class and premium economy. Lisbon will start on June 1, and all flights (EK191/192 and EK193/194) will be operated with the upgraded 777s. Dublin will start on June 25, operating on EK161/162.
Hong Kong will be the second Chinese destination to enjoy the upgraded aircraft, with flights starting June 1 on EK658/659 and from July 15 on EK656/657 and EK660/661. Meanwhile, Kolkata will start on August 10 on EK572/573, operating four times weekly on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Colombo will also start on August 10, operating daily on EK650/651. The flights will complement Emirates’ brand-new Airbus A350 service to the Sri Lankan capital. Emirates notes that aircraft deployments may be advanced if rolled out of refurbishment earlier.
Extensive fleet refurbishment
Emirates launched premium economy in 2022 , debuting on the Airbus A380. After several years of exclusive A380 and 777 operations, Emirates has also introduced the game-changing A350, featuring economy, premium economy, and refined business class.
In August 2022, the airline launched a ground-breaking retrofit program to fit its A380s and 777s with refreshed cabins and premium economy. Initially intended for 120 aircraft, the program was expanded to cover over 220 aircraft. When the last aircraft rolls out of the workshop, Emirates would have fitted over 42,000 new seats across four classes.
Emirates recently added London Stansted and Seoul to the network of destinations served by the refreshed 777s. Starting on June 1, Stansted will be the third UK destination served by the aircraft. By September, Emirates expects 44 cities to be served with the latest Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/emirates-retrofitted-boeing-777s-8-additional-cities/
