Air New Zealand Dreamliner Jets Off to Singapore for World-First Nose-to-Tail Makeover

Air New Zealand has embarked on a significant refresh of its Boeing 787-9 fleet, with the first of 14 aircraft arriving in Singapore on Sunday for a comprehensive cabin interior retrofit. This marks a historic milestone as Air New Zealand becomes the first airline globally to retrofit a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from nose to tail.

A Major Fleet Overhaul

The aircraft, registered as ZK-NZH, will undergo extensive modifications at ST Engineering, Air New Zealand’s heavy maintenance partner. The retrofit will involve stripping out the existing interiors and installing all-new products, including revamped seats in Economy and Premium Economy and a redesigned Business Premier cabin featuring the new Business Premier Luxe™ product.

Baden Smith, Air New Zealand’s General Manager of Strategy, Networks, and Fleet highlighted the significance of this project. “In 2014, Air New Zealand was the launch customer for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. A decade on, it feels fitting that we’re the first airline in the world to retrofit this aircraft nose-to-tail with a new interior,” he said.

The Retrofit Process

The retrofit program will update all 14 of the airline’s 787-9 aircraft over the next two years, with the first aircraft expected to return to service in early 2025. Each aircraft’s interiors will be completely removed, including seats, inflight entertainment systems, carpets, curtains, and lavatory wallpaper, before being replaced with new products.

Once the retrofit is complete, the aircraft will return to New Zealand for final checks and training before re-entering the flying schedule. “We’re retrofitting them one at a time to ensure we have enough aircraft to fly our schedule and avoid disrupting customers’ travel plans,” Smith explained.

Partnership with ST Engineering

Mr. Tan Eng Shu, EVP and Head of Aerospace MRO at ST Engineering, expressed his excitement about the project. “We are pleased to welcome the first of the 14 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to our Singapore facilities for this major refresh. Being a long-standing MRO partner to Air New Zealand, we are proud to support their Dreamliner fleet’s lifecycle requirements and be part of this world-first full cabin retrofit.”

What is a Retrofit?

A retrofit involves taking an existing aircraft and replacing its interior products, similar to renovating a house. The scope of Air New Zealand’s retrofit includes:

• New seats in every cabin, including Business Premier Luxe™ seats.
• New carpet throughout the aircraft.
• New curtains between cabins and galleys.
• New wallpaper, hands-free waste disposal, and amenity holders in the lavatories.
• New inflight entertainment screens and systems.
• Sky Pantry installed in the Economy cabin.

The aircraft’s Layout of Passenger Accommodation (LOPA) will be reconfigured to feature 272 seats, including 4 Business Premier Luxe seats, 22 Business Premier seats, 33 Premium Economy seats, and 213 Economy seats, with 13 Economy Skycouch™ seats.

Currently, Air New Zealand’s 787-9 aircraft have two different configurations: nine aircraft with 302 seats and five with 275 seats.

Looking Ahead

This ambitious retrofit program underscores Air New Zealand’s commitment to delivering an exceptional flying experience. The airline aims to enhance passenger comfort and maintain its competitive edge in the aviation industry by updating its fleet with the latest cabin interiors.