That’s a whole lot of seats, there, in Emirates new configuration that makes room for 98 more coach passengers by eliminating first class altogether, and shrinking business class by 18 seats.
The good news is that while the seats will not shrink, and the legroom/seat pitch will not change—and Emirates has a reputation for one of the best economy cabin experiences. It could have been worse: Airbus has a configuration that would allow 18″ seats and 11-across instead of the 18.5 and 10-across that Emirates will use first on flights between Dubai and Copenhagen and Dubai and Bangkok. On the upper level, economy will be 8 across, as seen in this SeatGuru diagram.
The new Emirates configuration is not the max, by the way; the A380 is certified to carry up to 853 passengers plus 20 cabin crew. In a safety test made as part of the certification process, all 873 passengers and crew were able to evacuate a darkened aircraft in 78 seconds using half the aircraft’s exits (necessary because in an actual emergency, half the exits might be underwater or otherwise not available.) Click HERE to see that video.
