In mid-2023, British Airways’ CEO announced that the airline planned to update the interiors of its Airbus A380s, which is also where we’ll see the debut of the carrier’s new first class suite. 2026 is finally supposed to be the year where we see this project start, so what’s the latest on this? I’d like to take a look at that, as some more details have been revealed over time.
British Airways A380s getting new first & business class
At the start of the pandemic, British Airways grounded its Airbus A380 fleet, as several airlines did. Fortunately in late 2021, the airline brought back these planes, and all signs point toward the whale jet staying in British Airways’ fleet for years to come.
The catch is that at this point, British Airways’ A380 interiors are quite outdated. British Airways has introduced its new Club Suites business class in recent years, though none of the A380s feature these cabins.
In July 2023, British Airways CEO Sean Doyle revealed some exciting updates regarding the A380:
Hundreds of millions of pounds will be spent refitting BA’s 12 A380 double-decker superjumbos. This is an aircraft so popular with passengers that most airlines make it their flagship — but, under Cruz, it became BA’s most dated jet. It will have a new first class — perhaps on the upper deck for the first time — the popular new business-class Club Suite, also upstairs, and new premium economy and economy cabins.
As you can see, British Airways plans to reconfigure its entire A380 fleet with new cabins. Most significantly, British Airways’ A380s will get the carrier’s Club Suites business class, plus a new first class.
At this point, British Airways’ plans seem to be to start reconfiguring A380s as of second quarter of 2026, so that’s potentially pretty soon. Of course we’ll see if that timeline sticks, and also, how long it takes for the new interiors to be certified. Personally I wouldn’t count on the first A380 reentering service with the new interiors before late 2026. The airline hopes to have all A380s reconfigured by the end of 2027, but we’ll see how that plays out.
It’s not surprising to see how long it’s taking for this project to get started, when you consider that British Airways has just finished up reconfiguring its Boeing 777s, and is now working on slowly reconfiguring Boeing 787s.
Given that these planes will only be reconfigured by some point in late 2027 (best case scenario), I think it’s safe to assume that British Airways intends to keep the A380 around well into the 2030s, or else the airline wouldn’t bother spending so much money on these jets.
What can we expect from British Airways’ A380 cabin upgrades?
British Airways’ A380s are currently configured with 469 seats, including 14 first class seats, 97 business class seats, 55 premium economy seats, and 303 economy seats.
The oneworld carrier currently has one of the most unusual A380 layouts of any airline, as the A380 has business class, premium economy, and economy on the upper deck, and first class, business class, and economy on the lower deck. There’s not another airline that has three different classes of service on each A380 deck. You’d think that’s not terribly efficient.
Once reconfigured, British Airways’ A380s are expected to feature 421 seats, so capacity will be reduced by around 10%, which is pretty significant (thanks to PYOK for flagging this). The plan is for there to be 12 first class seats (on the lower deck), 110 business class seats (on the upper deck), 84 premium economy seats (on the lower deck), and 215 economy seats (on the lower deck).
I think it goes without saying that the most exciting update to British Airways’ A380s will be the introduction of Club Suites, British Airways’ excellent new business class. This will represent a huge improvement over the current business class found on these planes. It’s also pretty wild that the entire upper deck will have business class — with 110 seats, this will be the world’s biggest business class cabin.
British Airways also plans to introduce an all-new first class suite on its A380s. British Airways’ A380s currently feature spacious but not particularly modern first class suites.
This isn’t British Airways’ most modern first class, as the carrier’s current “new” first class is found on some 777s. This is essentially the old first class suite, but with a door.
Fortunately we’ll finally see British Airways introduce a reimagined first class, featuring proper doors, much improved technology, and plenty of additional storage. This product will debut on the A380, and then the same cabin is expected to be installed on British Airways’ Boeing 777Xs, which will be delivered at some point in 2027 and beyond (probably more likely 2028 or 2029).
While I doubt this will be the world’s best first class, it’s still a significant improvement over what the airline currently offers.
Bottom line
British Airways plans to update its Airbus A380 cabins. That’s exciting in terms of knowing that these planes will be around for years to come. The plan is for these planes to be reconfigured starting around the second quarter of 2026, and it’s anyone’s guess when the project will be complete.
We can expect British Airways A380s to get Club Suites, as well as the carrier’s brand new first class suite, which will also be installed on Boeing 777Xs in the future. When you combine the general comfort of the A380 with these updates, it should be a pretty nice ride!
What are you expecting from British Airways’ A380 retrofits?