Emirates is preparing a cabin refurbishment programme for more than 120 aircraft as part of a $2 billion investment to enhance inflight customer experience. The airline will install for the first time premium economy seats on 120 aircraft as part of the effort. Other new features will include new or reupholstered seats, new panelling and flooring, the Middle Eastern carrier says. Every cabin class will be refreshed, it adds. Emirates notes it will be the only Middle Eastern airline to offer premium economy. Planning work and trials have begun for the programme. The first aircraft is scheduled for retrofitting at Emirates' engineering centre in November. Data shows Emirates' passenger fleet comprises 124 Boeing 777-300ERs, 10 777-200LRs and 121 Airbus A380s. Of these, 73 A380s are listed as being in storage.

London Heathrow airport processed nearly three times more passengers in July than in the same month last year, as 6.3 million travellers moved through the hub – about four-fifths of the pre-pandemic figure. Heathrow expects that 16 million passengers will use the airport between July and September. It has come in for criticism from airlines and passengers on account of delays and disruption to passengers through the spring and summer. It implemented a 100,000-passenger daily cap in July, in a bid to minimise problems. Airlines have complained that this severely constrains their ability to operate. Placing the blame for the problems on airlines, the airport cites a lack of capacity in ground-handling operations. "Integral to increasing the departing passenger cap is increasing airline ground-handler capacity and resilience, and we have initiated a review of ground handling to support that objective," says Heathrow. In late July it estimated that ground-handler capacity remained at around 70% of pre-pandemic levels, having not increased since January – a situation that forced it to put in place the passenger limit earlier this summer. "The cap on departing passenger numbers has delivered improvements to passenger experience, with fewer last-minute flight cancellations, better aircraft punctuality and baggage delivery," it notes. It adds that the number of security staff at the facility has returned to pre-pandemic levels, enabling 88% of passengers to clear security within 20min. Heathrow previously stated that the passenger cap would remain in place until airline are able to staff up their ground-handler operations. The airport's relationships with many of its airlines have been increasingly acrimonious since the passenger cap was put in place. Last month, Emirates Airline president Tim Clark accused Heathrow of urging it to abandon passengers at check-in as part of its drive to reduce traveller numbers, as well as issuing last-minute demands to cancel services and threats of legal action. "We said: 'We can't do this, we won't do this,"" he said during the Farnborough air show. IATA director general Willie Walsh, speaking at the same event, said: "They're a bunch of idiots... They don't know how to run an airport."

Boeing delivered 26 commercial aircraft to customers in July, down from 51 in June. But the airframer’s gross order intake rose from 50 to 130. Of the 26 aircraft delivered in July, 23 were 737 Max jets. Thirteen were handed over to airlines and 10 to lessors. Among the airlines, Southwest received three; Gol and Lion Air two each; and Air Canada, Ethiopian Airlines, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, TUI and United Airlines one each. Air Lease Corporation, DAE Capital, Griffin Global Asset Management and ICBC Leasing meanwhile took two each. The other two went to 777 Partners and SMBC Aviation Capital. The US airframer's latest order and delivery data also shows that it delivered two 767-300 Freighters (to FedEx and Maersk Aviation) and one 777F (to CES Leasing) in July. Boeing had delivered 43 Max jets in June. In late July, it reduced its 2022 delivery target for the 737 Max family to the "low 400s" range, from a previous estimate of 500. The airframer primarily blames engine-supply bottlenecks for the reduced delivery outlook. Max jets are exclusively powered by CFM International Leap engines. At 31 July, Boeing had delivered 242 commercial aircraft this year, including 204 Max jets. Boeing’s largest order booked in July was from Delta Air Lines for 100 Max 10s, disclosed during the Farnborough air show. Qatar Airways' order for 25 Max 10s was the second largest. American Airlines ordered two Max jets, while FedEx and Air Canada ordered one and two 777F widebodies, respectively. Boeing has received 416 gross orders so far this year. The tally net of cancellations and conversions stands at 312, the company says.