Emirates is tightening its grip on the premium long haul market as Ireland joins a growing list of destinations including Switzerland, Italy, Uganda, New York, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Iraq, and Vietnam now served by the airline’s upgraded aircraft with Premium Economy cabins and refreshed interiors. For travelers, the move signals a new era in comfort and choice on some of the world’s most popular routes, combining an expanded four cabin offering with one of the most ambitious fleet retrofit programs in aviation history.
Ireland Enters the Premium Economy Network
Emirates has confirmed that Dublin is being drawn deeper into the airline’s global upgrade strategy, with refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft scheduled to operate on more of the Irish capital’s Dubai services. These upgraded jets bring the full four cabin layout to the route, including the increasingly popular Premium Economy section, offering Irish travelers a more comfortable mid tier option between traditional Economy and Business on long haul journeys to the Gulf and onward to Asia, Africa, and Australasia.
The airline has already deployed a refitted Boeing 777 to Dublin and plans to add a second enhanced 777 from December 1, 2025, significantly increasing the number of Premium Economy seats available out of Ireland. The upgraded aircraft are part of a wider schedule of retrofits that has seen Emirates introduce refreshed cabins across its network at a pace of roughly one wide body aircraft every three weeks, underscoring just how central the Irish market has become to its long term growth plans.
For Ireland, the arrival of Premium Economy on more flights marks a qualitative shift as much as a quantitative one. The new cabins give leisure passengers and small business travelers an opportunity to trade up into a quieter, more spacious environment with upgraded service without paying Business Class fares, an appealing proposition on overnight flights eastbound to Dubai and beyond. At the same time, the consistency of product across the route aligns Dublin with key global hubs such as Zurich and Milan that already benefit from Emirates’ latest interiors.
Premium Economy Spreads from Europe to Africa, Asia, and the Americas
Ireland’s inclusion is one piece of a far broader rollout. Emirates has been steadily deploying its Premium Economy product to an expanding list of destinations spanning Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas, positioning itself as a reference carrier in this fast growing cabin segment. Switzerland and Italy have both seen increased use of retrofitted Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s on routes to Zurich and Milan, with Premium Economy now available on multiple daily frequencies and an A380 upgrade to a second Zurich rotation set to introduce the cabin on additional flights from February 2026.
Beyond Europe, Emirates has pushed the product deeper into Africa, with Uganda’s capital, Entebbe, and destinations across East and Southern Africa benefiting from the retrofit wave, while Mauritius has emerged as one of the flagship leisure markets for the new cabin. On routes like Dubai to Mauritius, Premium Economy seats have been in heavy demand among honeymooners, families, and high end leisure travelers seeking an elevated experience with more legroom, wider seats, and upgraded dining on long overwater sectors.
In Asia and the Middle East, Hong Kong, Iraq, and Vietnam have joined the network of cities served by retrofitted aircraft equipped with Premium Economy. Hong Kong, in particular, is set to receive additional refurbished A380s as the airline layers on more high capacity services to meet resurgent travel demand. In North America, New York John F. Kennedy has been one of the cornerstone Premium Economy destinations since the start of the retrofit program, with Emirates operating refurbished A380s on its flagship New York services and capturing strong demand from both transatlantic and transpacific connecting traffic.
The Largest Retrofit Program in Commercial Aviation
Underlying these network moves is an industrial scale engineering effort. Emirates has committed around 5 billion US dollars to its cabin retrofit program, describing it as the largest project of its kind in commercial aviation. What began in November 2022 with plans to refurbish 120 aircraft has now expanded significantly, with the airline deciding to extend nose to tail refreshes to 191 aircraft, and subsequently announcing a broader fleet modernization roadmap that will ultimately cover 219 jets across the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 families.
The scope of the upgrade is eye catching. Once work is complete, Emirates expects to have installed more than 8,000 new generation Premium Economy seats, nearly 1,900 refreshed First Class suites, over 11,000 updated Business Class seats, and more than 21,000 revamped Economy seats. These numbers are not merely cosmetic; they reflect a strategic bet that cabin quality and comfort will remain a decisive competitive edge on long haul routes even as fuel efficiency and new aircraft types reshape the industry landscape.
Emirates has chosen to run the retrofit effort largely in house at its Dubai Engineering Centre, coordinating with a roster of specialist partners but retaining direct control over scheduling, quality, and customization. Hundreds of engineers and technicians work in shifts around the clock, stripping each aircraft down to its bare structure, replacing seats, sidewalls, carpets, lighting, and galleys, and integrating the latest in flight entertainment systems. An A380 typically spends around three weeks in the hangar for a full makeover, while a Boeing 777 requires a little under three weeks, before reentering service with a completely transformed interior.
Cabin Experience: From First Class Suites to a New Mid Market Sweet Spot
The retrofitted aircraft represent more than a simple introduction of Premium Economy. They bring a harmonized four cabin experience that Emirates hopes will set a new benchmark for wide body travel. At the top of the hierarchy, selected Boeing 777s now feature the airline’s latest generation First Class suites arranged in an exclusive 1 1 1 layout. Each suite is a fully enclosed private space with floor to ceiling doors, advanced seat controls, mood lighting, and large screens, designed to evoke the feel of a private compartment rather than a traditional airline seat.
In Business Class, Emirates is progressively moving to a 1 2 1 configuration on its Boeing 777s, ensuring direct aisle access for every passenger and closing the gap with the acclaimed Business cabin already offered on its A380s. Refreshed upholstery, personal minibars, larger high definition screens, and updated lighting lend the cabin a more contemporary, boutique hotel atmosphere. These upgrades are particularly important on competitive premium routes such as those linking Dubai with major European and Australian gateways where rival Gulf and Asian carriers are aggressively investing in their own products.
Premium Economy sits at the heart of the project. On both the A380 and the retrofitted 777s, the cabin features wider seats with increased pitch, deeper recline, leg rests, and foot rests, arranged in a two four two layout on the A380 and a similar high density but spacious design on the 777. The finishes mirror those found in Business Class, with soft leather, wood grain accents, and adjustable headrests. Enhanced dining with upgraded tableware, welcome drinks, and a more curated menu rounds out the experience, creating a distinct value proposition for travelers seeking more comfort without the price tag of a flat bed.
Economy Class has not been neglected. New seats, calmer color palettes, improved ergonomics, and larger seatback screens aim to make even the rearmost cabin of the aircraft feel cleaner and more contemporary. Together, the four cabins create a stepped hierarchy of comfort that gives Emirates substantial flexibility in price and product positioning, a key advantage at a time when passenger expectations are fragmenting across different budgets and trip purposes.
Global Network Impact and Capacity Growth
The pace of the retrofit program is already reshaping Emirates’ network profile. By the end of 2025, the airline expects close to half of its destinations to be served by aircraft with the latest interiors, with over 70 cities offering at least one daily flight equipped with Premium Economy. That footprint is forecast to translate into around 2 million Premium Economy seats per year by late 2025, a figure Emirates plans to double to roughly 4 million seats annually by the end of 2026 as more aircraft roll out of the hangars.
In practice, this means that destinations from Dublin and Zurich to Hong Kong, Mauritius, New York, and beyond will see a rising proportion of frequencies operated by refitted A380s and 777s. The airline is also dovetailing the retrofit work with the introduction of its next generation Airbus A350 fleet, with early A350 deliveries already earmarked for long haul missions to markets such as Adelaide. These aircraft will arrive factory fresh with a three class layout that includes Premium Economy, further boosting capacity in the segment on thinner routes where deploying an A380 would be excessive.
Schedule updates over the past year have consistently highlighted the interplay between network demand and aircraft deployment. As passenger numbers rebound on routes to Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Emirates has responded by layering upgraded jets on high demand sectors, turning Premium Economy into a central tool for yield management. High load factors in the new cabin across key long haul markets suggest that travelers are willing to pay a meaningful supplement for extra space and enhanced service, supporting the business case for the airline’s multibillion dollar investment.
Competitive Positioning in the Long Haul Premium Market
The global aviation industry has seen a notable shift in the balance of cabin demand since the pandemic. While traditional Business travel has become more selective in some markets, there has been a pronounced rise in demand for premium leisure and blended business leisure travel. Emirates is positioning its Premium Economy product squarely at this nexus, targeting passengers who are trading up from Economy, as well as those downgrading from Business on certain trips but still seeking a distinctly better experience than the traditional back of the cabin.
By rolling out a consistent Premium Economy offering on routes connecting Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Uganda, New York, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Iraq, Vietnam, and other key markets, Emirates is not just widening choice; it is reinforcing its reputation as a carrier focused on comfort at scale. The move also helps differentiate the airline from some rivals that are either slower to introduce an intermediate cabin or still experimenting with smaller, more niche implementations. In contrast, Emirates’ strategy is built around volume and visibility, ensuring that loyal customers can count on finding the same product on a growing number of routes.
The retrofit project also gives Emirates a way to bridge the gap created by delays to new aircraft programs such as the Boeing 777X. By investing heavily in the current fleet, the airline maintains a modern, competitive onboard experience while it waits for next generation models to arrive later in the decade. For travelers in markets like Dublin or Mauritius, the result is that the aircraft they step onto today already reflects many of the comfort trends expected of future types, from improved seating to upgraded entertainment and connectivity.
What It Means for Travelers from Ireland and Beyond
For travelers in Ireland, the practical impact of these changes will be felt from the moment they begin planning a trip. Flight search results on Dublin to Dubai services will increasingly display a choice of cabins that includes Premium Economy, giving passengers a middle option where previously they faced a starker divide between Economy and Business. For families, couples, and small firms, that extra flexibility can be decisive in turning an aspirational long haul journey into a more comfortable reality.
The ripple effects extend far beyond the Dubai hub. Many passengers originating in Dublin, Zurich, Milan, Entebbe, Port Louis, Hong Kong, Baghdad, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and New York are using Emirates to connect to destinations across Asia, Australasia, and the Indian Ocean. With more sectors now offering the enhanced cabin, it becomes easier to construct an entire itinerary in Premium Economy or to mix cabins on different legs according to budget and priority. This modular approach to comfort fits neatly with modern travel patterns, where a traveler might choose Premium Economy on an overnight outbound leg and Economy on a shorter daytime return.
On board, the experience will feel notably different from traditional Economy. Wider seats, increased legroom, softer finishes, and an upgraded dining offering can make a substantial difference on flights stretching beyond seven or eight hours. For Irish passengers heading to destinations such as Sydney, Melbourne, or Auckland via Dubai, the ability to combine Premium Economy on one or both legs can reduce fatigue and make the overall journey more manageable, particularly for those who do not sleep easily in standard Economy seats.
Looking Ahead: A More Stratified but More Comfortable Sky
Emirates’ decision to place Premium Economy at the center of its fleet strategy is shaping not only its own network but also broader industry expectations. As more destinations, from Ireland to Hong Kong and from Mauritius to New York, gain access to the new cabin, competitors are likely to feel greater pressure to refine their own offerings. For travelers, that rivalry should ultimately translate into more choice, better comfort, and a clearer set of options aligned with different budgets and travel purposes.
By 2026, with the retrofit program well advanced and a growing cadre of A350s in service alongside refreshed A380s and 777s, Emirates intends that a significant majority of its long haul capacity will feature its latest generation cabins. That vision is already coming into focus on the routes that have joined the Premium Economy network so far. Ireland’s entry into this club signals that the trend is deepening rather than slowing, confirming that the middle of the cabin is becoming one of the most dynamic and contested spaces in international aviation.
For now, passengers departing from Dublin and the other newly upgraded gateways can look forward to a tangible step up in comfort on their next long haul trip with Emirates. As the airline continues to refine its product and extend its retrofit program, the experience of flying between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas is set to become more stratified by cabin, but also more comfortable and customizable than ever before.