Air New Zealand Begins Huge Boeing 787 Retrofit Program

Air New Zealand has started to retrofit its fleet of Boeing 787, designed to provide a much-needed revamp for passengers and crew members. The fleet's makeover is slated to begin this Sunday.

A New Feelin' For New Zealand

Air New Zealand is scheduled to overhaul the interiors of all 14 of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The first 787 will be renovated this Sunday, with more renovations being conducted all throughout 2025 and 2026.

In 2022, the airline announced a new business class along with improvements to seats in both economy and premium economy. These new changes were originally planned for new Boeing 787s, but with the manufacturer facing significant production delays, the airline opted to retrofit existing Boeings in the fleet instead.

The first of these Boeing 787s is scheduled to be flown to Singapore to be revamped. The aircraft is scheduled to return to service in early 2025. The 787s that follow are expected to take less time being renovated. Air New Zealand is not expected to renovate its Boeing 777s.

Air New Zealand states that the 787s will be retrofitted "nose-to-tail". The changes to these cabins include new seats, furnishings, carpet, curtains, wallpaper, entertainment screens, and a "Sky Pantry" for economy passengers.

Air New Zealand General Manager of Strategy Baden Smith gave his comments on the renovation 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 these aircraft nose-to-tail with a new interior."

“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. Once the first aircraft has been retrofitted and certified, the remaining aircraft will head to Singapore one by one.”

"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 program before we get our new aircraft also puts us in a good place to continue delivering an exceptional flying experience for our customers.”

Air New Zealand's 787 fleet currently has two layouts of varying economy, premium economy, 

and business class seats. The new retrofit will feature just one standardized layout across the fleet, featuring 213 economy, 33 premium economy, 22 "Business Premier" and four "Business Premier Luxe" seats. Altogether, each plane will seat 272 passengers.

About Business Premier and Business Premier Luxe

The airline's Business Premier and Business Premier Luxe classes will debut with the first retrofitted Boeing 787 in 2025.

Business Premier seats will be installed in a 1-2-1 configuration, facing towards the aisle rather than towards the windows. Business premier passengers will also have access to a personal entertainment screen, bluetooth audio, a charging station to accommodate multiple types of devices, and a privacy shield. These seats can also convert into flat beds for rest.

Business Premier Luxe takes the premium a few steps further with even more space, ottomans, enlarged trays, and the option to form a table for dinner with another passenger.

At this time, the airline will continue to wait for its order on new Boeing 787 aircraft, which will also be scheduled for the new retrofit project in Singapore if and when they are delivered — with 2026 being a tentative date.

In 2023, Air New Zealand commented on criticisms of its business class cabin interiors, in which the airline acknowledged improvements were necessary to keep up with competing airlines.