18 months of research. 2,500 hours of customer testing. 184 days in Singapore. One exceptional new onboard experience. Air New Zealand’s very first retrofitted Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner officially touched down in Auckland yesterday.

The aircraft spent the past 184 days in Singapore receiving the ultimate cabin glow-up as it was retrofitted with all-new cabin interiors, including the new Business Premier Luxe seat, and redesigned Business Premier, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins. The aircraft, ZK-NZH, is the first in the airline’s 787–9 fleet to undergo this world-first, full nose-to-tail retrofit.

Air New Zealand Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy O’Brien says the aircraft’s arrival is an exciting moment in the airline’s 85-year history. “Seeing the first of our 14 Dreamliners to undergo this transformation arrive home is a huge moment for our people, our customers, and the future of Air New Zealand. We’re so proud to deliver this new experience for those who fly with us around the world.

“Now the aircraft is back on home soil, it will undergo final preparations including testing of its new inflight entertainment system, and a full crew ground trial to rehearse onboard service before welcoming customers on board for the first time in mid-May.”

The second 787-9 to be retrofitted with the new interiors is already in Singapore, undergoing work, with a total of seven aircraft expected to be completed by the end of the year. All 14 Boeing 787-9s will be updated to the new cabin layout by the end of 2026.

What is a retrofit?

A retrofit means we are taking an existing aircraft and replacing the product inside it. Think of it like you would when renovating a house; removing the carpet, curtains, furniture, wallpaper, and replacing everything inside.

The scope of the retrofit includes:

• New seats in every cabin, including the new Business Premier Luxe seats in the Business Premier cabin
• New carpet throughout the aircraft
• New curtains between cabins and galleys
• New wallpaper, hands-free waste disposal, and amenity holders in the lavatories
• New inflight entertainment screens and system
• Sky Pantry installed in the Economy cabin

The aircraft LOPA (Layout of Passenger Accommodation) on all 14 aircraft will be reconfigured to have 272 seats; featuring four Business Premier Luxe seats, 22 Business Premier seats, 33 Premium Economy seats, and 213 Economy seats, including 13 Economy Skycouch™.

Currently, the airline’s 787-9 aircraft have two different LOPA or configurations; nine aircraft with 302 seats, and five aircraft with 275 seats.

We are still working through the flying schedule for this aircraft, and will have more to share shortly on where it will be operating and when it will be on sale.

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey.

The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United.

Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 16,000 daily flights to almost 1,200 airports in 186 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.

All images credited to Air New Zealand