Emirates continues to expand the deployment of its four-class Airbus A380s, which feature premium economy cabins, across a growing list of international destinations. The airline currently operates 116 Airbus A380 aircraft, although not all are in active service. Of these, 40 superjumbos have been fitted with a four-class layout since the introduction of premium economy in 2021.
There are three seating configurations for Emirates’ four-class A380s: 468, 484, and 487 seats. These aircraft will serve 24 airports from October to December this year. Some routes will see the four-class equipment for the first time; for example, Perth is scheduled to receive it starting October 19, with frequency reducing to one daily flight on October 26. Emirates’ daily New York JFK service via Milan Malpensa will switch from three-class to four-class aircraft equipped with premium economy on November 10.
London Heathrow remains the leading destination for Emirates' four-class A380 services. Four out of six daily departures between Dubai and Heathrow use these aircraft; the other two flights use higher-capacity A380s without premium economy but with more seats in economy class. The specific configuration used may vary during the quarter—for instance, the lowest-capacity (468-seat) version is scheduled only through October 25 before being replaced by a larger configuration.