British Airways updates fleet

The refurbished 747 - the sixth out of 18 that BA has earmarked for a make-over - was reintroduced into service on Saturday, flying to Boston. The 747 refurbishment project consists of fitting each four-class aircraft with an additional 16 Club seats, bringing the total number of fully-lie flat beds in the aircraft to 86; new seat foams for World Traveller and World Traveller Plus; the replacement of carpets and curtains throughout the aircraft; as well as the introduction of mood lighting in every cabin.

BA's refurbished Boeing 747 interior Each aircraft is also being fitted with Panasonic’s next generation eX3 entertainment system, which offers hi-resolution touch screens, while a universal power socket is being installed in World Traveller Plus seats. The newly refurbished 747s will fly between Heathrow and New York JFK, Chicago, Lagos, Dubai, Boston, Riyadh, Kuwait and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, with more destinations to be announced for the Summer 2016 season, the airline said in a press release.

Panasonic’s eX3 IFE on refurbished 747 Troy Warfield, British Airways’ director of customer experience, said: “We know our customers appreciate the investment we are making in new aircraft and refurbishing our much loved Boeing 747s is also helping to make flying with British Airways an even more enjoyable and relaxing experience. “The feedback from customers on our refurbished 747s has been extremely positive, as they are able to enjoy more comfortable seats, a better flying environment and the very latest state-of-the art in-flight entertainment.”

BA's A380 arrives at Washington Dulles International Airport The national carrier also also took delivery of its 11th double-decker A380, which will enter service later this week. BA has one more A380 on order, due for arrival later this year. To complete the week's fleet update, a 216-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner - featuring British Airways’ latest 8-seat First cabin - departed on its first commercial flight last Thursday. With a total of 42 787s set to join British Airways, the aircraft is set to become the mainstay of the airline's fleet. British Airways is also due to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 in 2018, with 18 aircraft on order, as well as 13 A320 NEOs and seven A321 NEOs, both due for delivery between 2018 and 2019.

BA's Boeing 787-9 at Heathrow