Emirates

kept up the pace with the launch of a series of new cabin products and enhancements this year for both its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleets, including a new-look Onboard Lounge for the flagship A380.

President Sir Tim Clark said at the ITB Berlin travel show: “The A380 Onboard Lounge is hugely popular with our customers, and has become an iconic feature. Particularly on long-haul flights, passengers tell us they appreciate the opportunity to stretch their legs and mingle in the relaxed yet classy area.

“In our latest revamp, we have taken inspiration from private yacht cabins, and among other touches have increased the seating space and also made it more intimate and conducive for passengers to socialize.”

The new lounge will accommodate up to 26 passengers at a time and is currently being installed on one of Emirates’ new A380s at Airbus. It will make its operational debut in July 2017 with new seating areas, each with a table and window view.

Emirates will also introduce soundproof curtains to partition the Onboard Lounge area from the other cabins and install additional soft lighting, new window blinds with integrated LED mood lighting, and subwoofers for surround sound. Other enhancements are being announced later.