Emirates unveils its ‘Gamechanger’ Boeing 777 in Riyadh

In just less than 5 months, over 65,000 passengers to and from Riyadh have experienced the new Emirates Boeing 777-300ER ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft since it launched on 14 April. Today, Emirates showcased the aircraft’s interiors in Riyadh, including its highly anticipated new First Class private suites. The tours were led by Marwan Al Marri, Emirates’ District Manager, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Emirates’ First Class suites take luxury and privacy to the next level. Offering up to 40 square feet of personal space each, these spacious, fully enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration. 

From First Class through to the Business and Economy Class cabins, all along the walkways, in the washrooms and galleys, the latest Emirates 777 aircraft boasts a multi-million dollar upgrade that includes newly designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems in all cabins. 

Marwan Al Merri, Emirates’ District Manager, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said: “The new Boeing 777 interiors that we are showcasing today in Riyadh represent Emirates’ ongoing investment to continually raise the bar and exceed our customers’ expectations. Aside from our new fully enclosed private suites which are the highlight of today’s tour, our Business Class cabins feature our latest fully-flat leather seats with personal minibars, and our Economy Class seats have adjustable full leather headrests. Emirates’ inflight entertainment system has also been upgraded for all cabin classes. Throughout the aircraft, our customers from Riyadh will see modern and airy cabins, with meticulous attention to every detail.”

He added: “We have been operating in Riyadh for almost 30 years, and it is one of the busiest routes in our network with significant premium demand, so it is fitting to introduce the latest version of the Boeing 777 with industry leading products on board to offer our customers from Riyadh a superior flying experience.” 

Emirates First Class Private Suites 
Designed with an emphasis on exceptional customer comfort and the ultimate in privacy, Emirates ‘Game-Changing’ Boeing 777 private suites feature floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and ultra-modern design features against cool grey colourscapes. 


The new suites include seats that recline into a fully flat-bed that manoeuvres into multiple positions and can be placed in a “zero-gravity” state inspired by NASA technology, for a feeling of weightlessness while flying. 
Passengers can also choose from a multitude of lighting colours and adjust the temperature of their suites for a fully customisable experience. The industry’s first virtual windows can be experienced by customers seated in suites located in the middle aisle. The virtual windows project a view from outside the aircraft using real time fibre-optic camera technology. 
Emirates also provides binoculars, among a host of other thoughtful touches, to customers who want to explore the vistas and cities below during their journey. Customers in each suite can also seamlessly communicate with the cabin crew or request room service and in-suite dining through an innovative video call function.

Upgrades across all cabin classes

The design and shape of Emirates’ Business Class seat onboard the new 777 was also inspired by the interior of a modern sports car, with a diamond stitch pattern on the full leather cover, ergonomically designed headrest, and a sleek overall look and feel. The seat has a pitch of 72 inches and moves into a fully flat sleeping position. It also has touchscreen controls for the seat and inflight entertainment system, several personal lighting options, privacy panels between seats, a shoe stowage area, footrest, and a personal mini-bar. 

The Economy Class cabin now features a colour palette of soft greys and blues. The ergonomically designed seats come with full leather headrests that have flexible side panels and can also be adjusted vertically for optimum support. 

All cabin classes will be equipped with a new generation of Emirates’ award-winning ice inflight entertainment system offering improved and superior image quality. Each in-seat screen will feature ultra-wide viewing angles, a capacitive touch screen, LED backlight and full HD display. 

Customers can enjoy the Boeing 777 experience to/from Riyadh on EK 819, which departs Dubai at 0655hrs, arriving in Riyadh at 0750hrs. The return flight EK 820 leaves Riyadh at 0935hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1230hrs. The service operates daily to Riyadh. 
Emirates and the Boeing 777
Emirates is the largest operator of the Boeing 777 aircraft, one of the most popular and advanced wide-bodied aircraft in commercial operation today. The airline has 156 Boeing 777s in its fleet, and 150 of the next generation Boeing 777x aircraft to be delivered starting next year.