Emirates will crown its forthcoming Boeing 777X jets with a staggering fourteen first class suites, a number equal to that of the Gulf carrier’s double-decker A380 superjumbos and almost double the first class cabin of the Emirates 777-300ERs.
It’s a bold move which shows confidence in the continued demand for first class, at a time when business class continues to close the gap with the addition of sliding privacy doors, larger video screens and increased personal space.
“All our 777-8s and 777-9s (which will be delivered) until 2038 will have the first class offering, with 14 of them onboard,” Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim told media on the sidelines of the recent IATA conference in Dubai.
Emirates President Sir Tim Clark has previously suggested the 777X jetliners will feature an updated version of the ‘game-changer’ first class suite created for the Boeing 777-300ER.
Already a benchmark in luxury, that five-star suite – which draws its design inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz S Class – is framed by floor-to-ceiling walls for full privacy.
Cosseted in this elegant cocoon, travellers can adjust their own in-suite ‘micro-climate’ and LED lighting while settling onto a “zero-gravity” seat which evenly distributes weight and stress across the leather-clad lounger.
Given the first class cabin’s 1-1-1 layout on the 777-300ER, we’re expecting the 14 suites in Emirates’ 777-8 and 777-9 jets will see four full rows plus a fifth row with just the two window suites but not the middle suite (which makes up for lack of a window by beaming live HD footage from outside the plane onto HD video panels).
Emirates has not yet revealed its plans for the 777X business class cabin. However, we know there’s an all-new Emirates “next generation” business class seat in a 1-2-1 layout on the way for both the factory-fresh Emirates Airbus A350 jets and the refurbished Boeing 777s, which are finally ditching the dreaded middle seat in business class, so that every passenger enjoys direct aisle access.
Emirates is Boeing’s biggest buyer for the troubled and much-delayed 777X project, and its prestigious launch customer, with over 200 jets on order, split between the ‘hero’ 777-9 and the smaller but longer-range 777-8.
However, the long wait for a jet first promised in 2019 is proving frustrating for the Gulf colossus, which now plans to continue flying its current A380 flagships into the 2040s.
Emirates’ President Clark now now expects he won’t pick up the keys to the first Emirates 777-9 until the middle of 2026.