Air New Zealand Begins Cabin Retrofit On 787 Fleet

Air New Zealand has launched a retrofit program for its Boeing 787-9s, which will include the installation of a new business class product and a seat reconfiguration.

The first of the carrier’s 14 787s, ZK-NZH, is scheduled to arrive in Singapore for the retrofit on Oct. 20. The airline was previously expecting to begin the retrofit in August, but there was a delay due to a parts supply issue.

The cabin retrofit will be conducted by ST Engineering, the airline’s heavy maintenance partner. The initial aircraft is expected to reenter service in early 2025.

Air New Zealand said it will be the first airline in the world to conduct a nose-to-tail retrofit on a 787-9. The carrier was the launch customer for the -9 variant in 2014.

The carrier will redesign the business cabin in the -9s with new seats and the addition of a separate Business Premier Luxe class, and it will also upgrade the economy and premium economy seats. The 787-9s will be reconfigured to have 272 seats in total, including four Business Premier Luxe seats, 22 business class, 33 premium economy and 213 economy.

Air New Zealand has two configurations on its -9s, one with a total of 302 seats and another with 275 seats.

The 787 fleet will be retrofitted one at a time in order to avoid disruptions and maintain the flight schedule, the airline said. All of the aircraft are due to be completed over the next two years. The carrier also has eight more 787s on order, with delivery expected to start in late 2025.