Underwhelming: Emirates reveals ‘new’ A380 business class

With deliveries of the Boeing 777-9 now being pushed back to 2027 – seven years later than planned – Emirates will press ahead in upgrading its flagship Airbus A380s, with the intent to keep them flying well into the next decade.

But the Gulf carrier won’t be going head-to-head with its competitors in rolling out private suites fitted with sliding doors.

Instead, this next wave of superjumbo refits will feature the same S-Lounge business class which debuted on the Airbus A350s in late 2024.

This is, in turn, an iterative take on Emirates’ standard A380 and more recent 777 business class – think “evolution, not revolution.”

Emirates' new S-Lounge business class.

The S-Lounge will be added to 60 Airbus A380s as well as 51 Boeing 777s in an extensive overhaul program starting from August 2026.

Emirates has described the S-Lounge as being “inspired by the Mercedes S Class, for an exceptional travel experience.”

The design takes its cues from the latest version of the A380 cocktail bar, with creams and Champagne accents offsetting the signature faux wood panelling.

Emirates' new S-Lounge business class.

Each leather-clad seat is adjacent to a wide bench sporting wireless device charging, along with AC, USB-A and USB-C power sockets – the latter rated at 67W, sufficient to keep a mid-sized laptop charged up.

However, there’s a distinct lack of privacy, especially in seats located immediately next to the aisle, and a shortage of personal storage space around the seat.

The biggest changes are saved for the inflight entertainment system and Wi-Fi.

Emirates' new S-Lounge business class.

These 4K HD video screens use rich OLED display technology – the same as most home TVs – to deliver deep blacks, vivid colour and infinite contrast.

Immersive ‘multi-dimensional’ spatial audio can be streamed directly to the passenger’s own Bluetooth headphones or earbuds.

And at the same time as these business class seats will be installed onto the A380s and 777s, the inflight Internet will be upgraded to the Starlink satellite network.

That means superfast Wi-Fi clocking at 100-150Mbps per passenger – and it’ll be completely free to every passenger from tip to tail.

Emirates now expects its A380s to be flying into the 2040s.

A previous refurbishment of first class saw the 14 suites finessed with slightly higher walls for added privacy and a wider seat for greater comfort as high flyers tuck into those unlimited servings of Persian caviar paired with vintage Dom Perignon.

Emirates' refreshed A380 first class suites.

The Airbus A380 is the plane which helped drive the growth of Emirates, carrying travellers to and from all corners of the world via its Dubai mega-hub, with almost 120 superjumbos in its fleet when Airbus cancelled production of the superjumbo in 2019 owing to lack of demand.

But  Emirates president Sir Tim Clark hasn’t given up on the idea of an A380neo, adapting new design technology and high-efficiency engines to reduce fuel burn by as much as 25%.

“I’m still shown the door when I mention it, but I’m still asking,” Clark has wryly remarked.

Read more: Emirates’ $20 billion plan for new A380neo superjumbo