Emirates is undertaking perhaps the most significant aircraft refurbishment project in the history of aviation. Over the next few years, the carrier will complete nose-to-tail refreshes on over 200 widebody aircraft, including the largest passenger jet, the Airbus A380. The investment required runs to an eye-watering $5 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Refitting aircraft this large is never an easy task. When you\u2019re trying to do it in a way that doesn\u2019t interfere with a very busy flying schedule, it becomes even trickier. AeroTime sat down with Emirates\u2019 Head of Engineering and MRO, Ahmed Safa, to find out just what goes into such an immense project.<\/p>\n Long before the pandemic, Emirates had ordered Boeing\u2019s 777-9 for its fleet, and was expecting initial deliveries to begin arriving in 2020. But COVID derailed supply chains, and Boeing\u2019s in-house issues have further hindered the progress on the 777X program, with deliveries now expected in late 2026<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n \u201cA huge tranche of the 777s were supposed to be handed back in \u201822, \u201823, and \u201824, but knowing that we were going to be drastically impeded on capacity, it was appropriate for us to extend the leases,\u201d Safa explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the other side of the coin is Airbus and its A350s. \u201cWe should have had 21 aircraft by now,\u201d Safa said. \u201cRight now, we only have four.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Originally, Emirates intended to refurbish 67 A380s and 53 777s. However, as the depth of the delivery delays became apparent, it extended the program to include an additional 43 A380s and 28 Boeing 777 aircraft<\/a> in May 2024. During its recent earnings release, the airline indicated another 99 aircraft would also be added to the program.<\/p>\n\n \u201cThe additions to the modification program were primarily driven by the lack of new aircraft,\u201d Safa said.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the aircraft staying for longer, attention turned to the state of the cabins. The 777s, in particular, were known for their unusual 2-3-2 layout in business class \u2013 not a passenger pleaser<\/a> when most airlines are pitching direct aisle access in business.<\/p>\n \u201cThe industry expects that we continue to lead in the cabin and continue to perhaps deliver what is probably, in my humble opinion, the finest in the sky,\u201d Safa said.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWhen we first pitched the idea and the full scope of the project, there was a look of fear in many eyes in that room,\u201d Safa recalled with a chuckle. \u201cIf you were to express the project in a mathematical form, it would look like the most frightening, the most intimidating mathematical formula you\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody in aviation has undertaken quite such an extensive refurbishment of the A380. There was no playbook for Emirates to follow; it is very much a pioneer in this activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo refit the A380, you\u2019re talking about 33,000 man hours, squeezed into the small space of the fuselage,\u201d Safa explained. \u201cIt was originally designed to be accomplished in 16 days.\u201d<\/p>\n To hone the process, Emirates grounded one A380 and assigned workers to each section of the aircraft. Over the next two months, engineers practiced their tasks on their individual sections of the aircraft over and over again, perfecting the flow until the project launched<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first aircraft took 60 days,\u201d Safa said. \u201cBut that wasn\u2019t because we didn\u2019t do it right. It was because of the supply chain and certification issues. It took a long time to get the STC, but once we got that, we could speed up the process. Sure enough, we never did make the 16 days, but we do that work, those 33,000 man hours, in 21 days now.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Ahmed](\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/images\/2025\/05\/ahmed-safa-1200x799.jpg\" "\\"Emirates")
Why is Emirates refurbishing these older aircraft?<\/h2>\n
![\"Emirates](\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/images\/2025\/05\/24528726759_64501c0f0f_h-1200x675.jpg\" "\\"Emirates")
How to overhaul the biggest passenger planes in the world<\/h2>\n
![\"Emirates](\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/images\/2025\/05\/1920_retrofitteam-1200x671.jpg\" "\\"Emirates")