The first of 18 refurbished British Airways’ Boeing 747s will fly from London Heathrow to New York this week.
The revamped jumbos will now operate on selected flights to JFK, Chicago and Boston, the Middle East and Africa, with further routes to be added in summer 2016.
The aircraft will be fitted with Panasonic’s nextgen eX3 entertainment systems, which offer more than 1,300 hours of entertainment including more than 130 movies and 400 TV shows on larger screens.
Richard D’Cruze, BA in-flight entertainment and technology manager, said: "We know that in-flight entertainment is really important to our customers – being able to relax and watch a film or listen to music helps customers to pass the time enjoyably – so by installing this state-of-the-art equipment we will be able to deliver even more programming on board."
New seat foams will be installed in World Traveller and World Traveller Plus to increase customer comfort and new style seat covers fitted to match those on the A380 and 787.
Carpets and curtains throughout the plane will also be replaced to mirror the new aircraft colour scheme.
"Our customers love our new aircraft, but the 747s hold a special place in their heart, so we’re delighted to have been able to revamp these aircraft," said Kathryn Doyle, British Airways’ aircraft cabin interiors manager.
