Emirates’ world-renowned Airbus A380s will be getting another new update to their onboard bars, the airline's President Sir Tim Clark has confirmed. The updated bar area will be rolled out on Emirates’ newest Airbus A380s as early as the end of 2020.

Emirates is by far the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380, the largest commercial passenger jet on the market. Emirates currently operates 112 Airbus A380s, and has a further 11 on order. The airline took delivery of its first A380 way back in July 2008, and a lot has changed since then.

What’s so good about the Airbus A380?

In Emirates’ case, one of the most important features of the Airbus A380 is the massive amount of cabin space the aircraft gives airlines to play with.

It's not just good for carrying a lot of passengers. When it comes to creating a feature-packed, luxury in-flight experience, space is key. At the centre of Emirates’ luxury in-flight experience on the Airbus A380 is the bar area.

Emirates Airbus A380
Emirates is a big fan of the Airbus A380. Photo: Emirates

So far there have been two different iterations of the bar on Emirates’ Airbus A380s. And the exciting news for frequent Emirates passengers is the airline’s confirmation that a new first-class bar will be rolling out as early as next year.

Emirates’ new Airbus A380 bars

In an exclusive interview published today, Emirates’ President, Sir Tim Clark, confirmed the exciting news with Executive Traveller. The second version of Emirates’ Airbus A380 bar and lounge area was only released back in 2017, but it seems the airline has already planned another update.

At the moment Emirates is, understandably, keeping its cards close to its chest regarding the more specific design details of the new bars. Sir Tim Clark has, however, hinted that it will be well worth the wait.

“I won't reveal exactly what is going to happen, because you know, it’s still a work in progress: but it'll be a step change in what we're doing. It'll be very, very, very attractive, I can assure you,” he told Executive Traveller.

Emirates tries to keep an eye on how passengers use the space on its Airbus A380s, and has taken this into account when planning updates to the aircraft’s interior.

An Emirates Airbus A380 bar/lounge
The A380 has a bar on board for the first class and business class passengers. Photo: Emirates

Clark says that the bar and lounge area on Emirates’ Airbus A380s is one of the main reasons many passengers fly with the airline. As a result, the seating area in the new bar and lounge will be enlarged to make sure more passengers can enjoy the experience.

Another new feature will be the addition of USB and AC charging points around the tables.

As far as the timeline for the installation of the new bars goes, Clark expects them to roll out on Emirates’ newer Airbus A380s towards the end of next year or the beginning of 2021.

Simple Flying has reached out to Emirates with a request for comment on its plans for the new Airbus A380 bar area. Unfortunately, the airline has not yet been able to respond, but we will update this article when we receive more information.