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Air New Zealand has begun the cabin overhaul for its Dreamliner fleet and will be the first airline in the world to retrofit a 787-9 from nose to tail.
ZK-NZH has arrived at ST Engineering in Singapore where it will be stripped and have an entirely new interior installed, including redesigned economy and premium economy seats and an updated business cabin with the new Business Premier Luxe product.
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These retrofits, which will be performed on all 14 of Air New Zealand’s existing 787-9s, will not add the new Skynest economy sleeping pods; these will instead feature on its eight new Dreamliners expected to arrive from next year. The airline was the launch customer for the 787-9 in 2014.
“This retrofit programme will see all the interiors removed, including the seats, inflight entertainment system, carpet, curtains, and lavatory wallpaper, before it’s all replaced with new product,” said Air New Zealand’s general manager of strategy, networks and fleet, Baden Smith.
“The aircraft will then come back to New Zealand where our team will spend a few weeks working through various checks and training before it officially enters the flying schedule in the next year.”
According to Smith, the Dreamliners will be overhauled on a rolling schedule over the next two years to minimise disruptions.
“Once the first aircraft has been retrofitted and certified, the remaining aircraft will head to Singapore one by one,” he said.
“We’re retrofitting them one at a time to ensure we have enough aircraft to fly our schedule, and we aren’t disrupting customers’ travel plans.
“Rolling out this retrofit programme before we get our new aircraft also puts us in a good place to continue delivering an exceptional flying experience for our customers.”
Skynest was intended to launch in September this year on flights from Auckland to Chicago. Available for NZ$400-$600, the bunk bed-style pods, located between the economy and premium economy cabins, will be limited to one session per passenger, though families on the same ticket will be able to book separate sessions for each person pending availability.
Jetstar is also looking to refit its fleet of 787-8 Dreamliners starting next year, including a new exterior livery and new seats in the economy and business class cabins. CEO Stephanie Tully last month hinted that the overhaul could unlock destinations as far afield as Las Vegas and Cape Town.
