Emirates unveils plans for first en-suite plane bathrooms

Emirates plans to become the first airline to introduce private bathrooms on board for premium passengers.

Airline president Tim Clark confirmed that work is in progress to fit first-class suites with en-suite bathrooms on Thursday.

Clark said on a video call at Berlin’s 2026 Capa Airline Leader Summit: “I'm working on en-suite bathrooms in first-class suites.

“I want everyone to hear that so everyone rushes out the door to find out how they can get bathrooms in first-class suites,” reported The National.

The UAE flag carrier has first-class cabins on its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

Passengers who pay to fly first class have access to fine dining, an onboard shower spa and a lounge bar.

Emirates says that the “private hotel room in the sky” also includes temperature controls, mood lighting and “soft leather seating reminiscent of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class”.

Should Clark successfully install private en-suite bathrooms for every first-class passenger, Emirates will be the first commercial airline to do so for each seat.

The Independent has contacted Emirates for comment.

Elsewhere, Air New Zealand is launching an innovative way for economy passengers to sleep on long-haul flights with bunk beds on board.

The airline will open bookings next month for its “Skynest” seats, which will allow economy class passengers to lie flat on flights.

These will debut on select ultra-long-haul flights between New York and Auckland, on sale 18 May with travel from November.

Beds on planes are nothing new – almost every airline that operates long-haul journeys provides upper-class passengers with a seat which can be adjusted into a bed.

While bunk beds existed in various forms on flights in the early days of air travel, Air New Zealand will be launching a more modern approach that is not limited to upper-class travellers.

Read more: Is it worth upgrading to premium economy on Emirates?