The first refitted Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 has rolled out of the hangar in Singapore and has returned to the airline’s base at Auckland.
Refitted Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 – Image, Air New Zealand.
For the airline, this is the culmination of 18 months of research. 2,500 hours of customer testing and 184 days in Singapore.
During its time in Singapore, the aircraft received a cabin retrofitted with all-new cabin interiors, including the new Business Premier Luxe seat, and redesigned Business Premier, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins.
The aircraft, ZK-NZH, is the first in the airline’s Boeing 787-9 fleet to undergo this world-first, full nose-to-tail retrofit.
The scope of the retrofit includes:
- New seats in every cabin, including the new Business Premier Luxe™ seats in the Business Premier cabin
Business Premier Luxe seat – Air New Zealand
Business Class Cabin – Air New Zealand
Premium Economy Cabin – Air New Zealand
Economy Cabin – Air New Zealand
- New carpet throughout the aircraft
- New curtains between cabins and galleys
- New wallpaper, hands-free waste disposal, and amenity holders in the lavatories
- New in-flight entertainment screens and system
- Sky Pantry installed in the Economy cabin
All 14 aircraft in the retrofit program will be reconfigured to have 272 seats, featuring four Business Premier Luxe seats, 22 Business Premier seats, 33 Premium Economy seats, and 213 Economy seats, including 13 Economy Skycouch.
Currently, Air New Zealand have two configurations, nine aircraft with 302 seats, and five aircraft with 275 seats.
In Quotes
Air New Zealand Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy O’Brien says the aircraft’s arrival is an exciting moment in the airline’s 85-year history.
“Seeing the first of our 14 Dreamliners to undergo this transformation arrive home is a huge moment for our people, our customers, and the future of Air New Zealand. We’re so proud to deliver this new experience for those who fly with us around the world.
“Now the aircraft is back on home soil, it will undergo final preparations including testing of its new inflight entertainment system, and a full crew ground trial to rehearse onboard service before welcoming customers on board for the first time in mid-May.”
One Down. 13 to go
The second 787-9 to be retrofitted with the new interiors is already in Singapore, undergoing work, with a total of seven aircraft expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The airline is aiming to have all 14 Boeing 787-9s updated to the new cabin layout by the end of 2026.
For the airline, at the end of the programme, it will allow them to have a uniform passenger experience on its Boeing 787-9 fleet. But for now, there will be up to three configurations of aircraft to look out for.
You’ll need to keep an eye out for the 272-seat variant of the 787-9 if you’re looking for the new cabin.
Speaking of the aircraft with the new cabin, according to the airline, it should be flying in mid-May, with its planned routes to be confirmed before it is deployed.
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