Emirates previews Premium Economy class at pre-launch event
Airline executives engage stakeholders from Mumbai’s aviation, travel and media sectors on an exclusive tour of A380 aircraft featuring new cabin class, prior to launch in India this month. Image credit: Emirates
Emirates celebrated the upcoming launch of its Premium Economy offering in India on October 19, according to their press release. The airline hosted an exclusive tour of its four-class A380 aircraft in Mumbai. The new cabin class will debut on A380 flights later this month.
The aircraft featuring Premium Economy cabins and operating as EK506 arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (MIAL) to enable MIAL airport officials, VIPs, travel agents, key corporate customers and media to preview the soon-to-launch offering. Staff and members of the media were given a tour of the Premium Economy cabins, along with important airline personnel.
Prakash Tulsiani, Chief Executive Officer of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), was in attendance, alongside Ashwin Noronha, the Chief Operating Officer of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), and Dinaz Madhukar, the Chief Commercial Service Officer at Adani Airports.
Emirates executives Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, and Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for West Asia and Indian Ocean, were also in attendance.
Mohammad Sarhan, Emirates’ Vice President for India and Nepal, attended the premier event and said of the upcoming launch, “Emirates Premium Economy has revolutionized travel for a growing segment of travellers looking to enhance their flying experience. We’ve received an immense response from customers, who have opted to trade up to Premium Economy and embraced the new levels of comfort and luxury it provides at great value. In line with the demand we have seen on the ten routes where the product is already available, we anticipate it will be highly-popular in India as well.”
Sarhan continued, “With the ongoing surge in travel across our network, Premium Economy allows passengers to savour the perfect blend of luxury and affordability. This underscores our ongoing commitment to customers and delivering on our ‘Fly Better’ promise. As we incorporate Premium Economy cabins across a growing number of aircraft, we hope to extend this option on more routes.”
The airport is also eager for the launch of the service featuring the upgraded cabins. “We are delighted to welcome Emirates as they reconfigure and upgrade their service offering from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA),” a CSMIA Spokesperson said. “As Emirates extends its diverse range of services and extensive connectivity, CSMIA stands prepared to meet the modern-day mobility requirements with [the] implementation of newer technology & digitalization, thus contributing to a seamless passenger experience. With Mumbai Airport’s world-class offerings, combined with Emirates’ commitment to premium comfort and excellence on board, we are excited to provide passengers with the finest experience from CSMIA.”
The Premium Economy cabins will enter service on Emirates’ A380 to Mumbai and Banglore on October 29. It will launch service on outbound flights from these cities to Dubai on October 30.
The cabins will feature 56 plush cream leather seats, located at the font of the main deck, laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. The seats offer more legroom, generously recline, and are set up for an elevated dining experience, according to the October 19 press release. Passengers benefit from diverse regional menus and extensive beverage selections when flying in Premium Economy as well.
The Emirates IFE System ice offers more than 6,500 channels and has undergone recent improvements. The systems now have a larger screen and an extensive collection of movies and TV shows in India’s regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi and Kannada.
Emirates said in the press release that it has undertaken one of the largest-ever fleet retrofitting initiatives in aviation history. The team is revamping 67 A380s and 53 777s. This project includes the updated interior design along with almost 4,000 Premium Economy seats installed across 120 aircraft.
Indian passengers travelling on Emirates between Mumbai and Dubai can book the Premium Economy seats on flights EK500/501. Those flying from Dubai to Bengaluru can book these eats on flights EK568/569, the press release said. Booking is available on emirates.com, Emirates sales offices and travel agencies, for outbound travel from the two Indian points, starting October 30.
