Air New Zealand will overhaul the cabins of its 777-300ER fleet to align with recent refurbishments of the 787-9.
The cabin upgrade, which will begin next year, will keep total seats at 342, with two premium economy seats swapped for economy seats and business class upgraded to Collins Aerospace seats similar to those on the refurbished Dreamliners.
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“Our current Business Premier and Economy cabins have served us exceptionally well since we welcomed the first 777-300ER to our fleet in late 2010, however the time is right to raise the bar once again,” said Jeremy O’Brien, Air New Zealand’s chief customer and digital officer.
“Together with our modernized 787-9 Dreamliners, these upgrades will deliver a more consistent experience across Air New Zealand’s international fleet, with a design and production standard that matches the world-class Kiwi service we are proud to provide on board.
“Our Boeing 777-300ER aircraft continue to play a key role in our international network, and improving interiors means we can keep these aircraft flying longer, while reducing the maintenance demands that come with an older cabin product.”
Business class will feature 44 seats with reclining beds, private doors and dividers, 18-inch entertainment screens with Bluetooth connectivity, and USB-A and USB-C connections.
“The updated Business Premier cabin will provide a modern experience for our customers and provide similar functionality to the new seats being rolled out across our 787-9 fleet. It will also see the design change to an ‘inverted herringbone’ format,” O’Brien said.
Premium economy will remain the same, having already been updated over the past year, but the 246 economy seats will be updated with ergonomically designed seats from ZIM, improved screens and USB-C connections.
It comes as Air New Zealand has returned all of its existing 787-9 Dreamliners to service after overhauling the engines, and the first two aircraft in its new Dreamliner fleet, which will be equipped with “Skycouch” sleep pods, are anticipated by the end of 2026.
Air New Zealand expects repairs to the 777 to begin in March next year, with the first refurbished aircraft entering service in May.
