Emirates airline unveils new premium economy, expects to hit demand sweet spot

Emirates airline unveils new premium economy, expects to hit demand sweet spot

Emirates said installing premium-economy seats across the bulk of its fleet will take 18 months to two years as the Gulf airline targets what it hopes will be a sweet spot in demand following the coronavirus crisis.

Tickets for the new berths, pitched between existing coach and business-class products, go on sale next month, after which Emirates will focus on retrofitting the cabins in more than 100 Airbus SE A380 and Boeing Co. 777 wide-body planes, Chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed al-Maktoum said Tuesday.

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“We are so pleased to introduce the new category in premium economy,” he told Bloomberg Television in an interview in Dubai, where Emirates is based.

Emirates is relatively late to the market with a premium economy offering that’s long been popular at many other major carriers.

It finally resolved before COVID-19 hit to add the new class, a decision that’s looking fortuitous after the pandemic upended travel patterns, hurting demand for long-haul business trips but boosting premium-leisure bookings.

Sheikh Ahmed said he’s confident the carrier will need no further financial support from its government owner as demand rebounds from the pandemic, and will start repaying AED 15 billion