EMIRATES GOES IN BUSINESS ON B777- 200LRS

EMIRATES IS REFITTING its eet of ten B777-200LR aircra with new wider business class seats in a 2-2-2 con guration.

e US$150 million refurbishment programme will see all rst class removed from the aircra , making space for the carrier to o er business class seats which are two inches wider than previously, with four out of six seats in each row now having direct aisle access.

is is a departure from Emirates’ new B777-300ERs, which continue to o er a 2-3-2 layout in business class, including an undesirable middle seat without aisle access.

e airline’s erstwhile B777-200LRs o ered a three-class con guration, with eight rst class seats, 42 in business class and 216 in economy, for a total of 266 seats.

e new layout o ers 38 of the new business class seats (down four seats), and 264 seats in economy (up 48 seats), for a total of 302 seats.

e carrier says that while the new B777-200LR business class seats “are in the same design and shape of Emirates’ latest lie- at seats”, they are two inches wider “for a more comfortable journey”.

e revamp also sees the centre overhead bins removed, and business class passengers will have access to a “social area”, also referred to by the carrier as a “mini lounge area”, o ering snacks and beverages throughout the ight. Economy seats on the aircra are also refreshed.

e rst of the refurbished aircra debuted early last month on the carrier’s route between Dubai and Fort Lauderdale.

It’s worth noting that the ten B777-200LRs represent only a small proportion of Emirates’ eet of around 250 aircra – the vast majority of customers will continue to experience the carrier’s seating products on its 100-odd A380s and 140 B777-300s. emirates.com