What happened
Flydubai will begin converting business-class cabins on 21 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in September 2026, swapping remaining regional recliner seats for the lie-flat beds already flying on the rest of the fleet. The work is planned to run for 12 months, with every aircraft that has business class expected to offer that flat-bed product by late 2027.
The Dubai government-owned carrier already converted its 737-800 business cabins from recliners to those flat beds in 2024. A small number of all-economy aircraft will not receive business-class seats and will sit outside that standard. Flydubai currently flies Boeing 737s and partners with Emirates.
The mixed recliner and lie-flat cabin should end for Flydubai business-class passengers. Expect the remaining regional business seats to come out through late 2027, with nothing to book.
- Numbers
- 21 aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8s scheduled for cabin retrofit
- 12 months: planned duration of the MAX 8 business-class retrofit
- Takeaway
- There is nothing to book or register for; just expect the remaining regional business seats to be swapped out through late 2027.