Emirates will deploy its Premium Economy cabin on more than 84 routes by July 1, adding 10 new cities to its premium service network while increasing frequencies to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town using Airbus A350 aircraft.
The Dubai based carrier announced on January 8 that it will introduce Premium Economy to cities including Barcelona, Rome, Cochin, Karachi, Taipei, Addis Ababa, Basra, Kuwait City and Tehran through a combination of retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft and newly delivered A350s.
From June 1, Emirates will launch a second daily service to Copenhagen using its A350 aircraft. Flight EK153 will depart Dubai at 14:50 hours, arriving at 19:45 hours, while the return flight EK154 will depart Copenhagen at 21:35 hours, arriving in Dubai at 05:55 hours the following day.
A third daily service to Phuket and Cape Town will commence on July 1, both operated by A350 aircraft featuring Premium Economy alongside Business and Economy class cabins. Flight EK390 will depart Dubai for Phuket at 22:40 hours, arriving at 08:10 hours the next day.
Cape Town becomes the first African destination to receive service from all three Emirates widebody aircraft types: the A350, A380 and Boeing 777. Flight EK778 will depart Dubai at 10:25 hours, arriving in Cape Town at 18:05 hours, with the return flight EK779 departing at 20:00 hours and arriving in Dubai at 07:25 hours the following morning.
Afzal Parambil, Emirates regional manager for Southern Africa, stated that South Africa becomes the only African nation on the network to be served by all three aircraft types. The fleet mix provides flexibility for customers traveling through three gateways while maintaining the Emirates experience on every flight.
Emirates’ double daily Cape Town service has recorded consistently high load factors over the past year, particularly during peak periods. Inbound demand from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) continues growing, while outbound traffic to Europe and the United States (US) East Coast remains strong.
The carrier will also operate its A350 to Rome from March 29 and Taipei from May 1. Between February 1 and April 30, Taipei services will use retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft before transitioning to A350 operations.
Barcelona will receive Premium Economy service from February 1 using retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft. The linked Barcelona to Mexico City service will operate with Premium Economy configured Boeing 777 aircraft from February 15.
In Asia, two of seven weekly Cochin services will feature Premium Economy from January 29 using retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft on Thursday and Sunday flights. Karachi will receive daily Premium Economy service from March 1, while Brisbane gets upgraded aircraft from March 29.
Middle East routes gaining Premium Economy include Basra from January 29 on Thursday services, Kuwait City from February 1 transitioning to A350 from May 1, and Tehran from March 29 using retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft in four class configuration.
Addis Ababa will receive daily retrofitted Boeing 777 service with Premium Economy from March 1.
Emirates operates 13 A350 aircraft after receiving its first in November 2024. The airline has ordered 73 A350s as part of a $41.4 billion orderbook for 375 new widebody aircraft.
The carrier is retrofitting 219 older aircraft including 60 A380s and 51 Boeing 777s. The upgrades include new seats, the Panasonic Astrova entertainment system and Starlink Wi Fi connectivity. An A380 retrofit takes approximately 22 days while a Boeing 777 requires 18 days, with two refurbished aircraft completed monthly.
Emirates Premium Economy features seats measuring 19.5 inches wide with legroom up to 40 inches, personal charging ports and 13.3 inch inflight entertainment screens. Additional amenities include dedicated check in counters at Dubai, upgraded meal service on Royal Doulton china, enhanced wine selections and amenity kits.
The cabin uses a two four two layout on Boeing 777 aircraft, providing more shoulder room compared to economy class. Seats feature six way adjustable headrests and woodgrain dining tables.
Emirates introduced Premium Economy in 2022 and had expanded to over 70 cities by late 2025. The airline plans to offer nearly four million Premium Economy seats annually by 2026.
The Copenhagen service provides seamless connections to destinations in East Asia including Bangkok, Bali, Manila, Tokyo Haneda and Phuket, along with links to Colombo and Male. The route also introduces new connections to African cities including Nairobi and Entebbe.
The Phuket service offers an early morning arrival ideal for passengers connecting from Europe including Manchester, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Frankfurt, as well as Kuwait and Bahrain. Return connections serve major European and Middle East gateways including Madrid, Munich, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Edinburgh, Zurich and Amman.
