Airbus super squeeze coming to an airplane near you

Geoffrey Thomas

By Geoffrey Thomas Thu Jun 16, 2022

Airbus is planning to add another six seats to its 186-seat A320 and another 20 to its A330 which will mean the slimmest seats and toilets you have ever experienced. Of course, most airlines, fearing a passenger revolt will not adopt the increased seating but charter and low-cost airlines are expected to sign up. To achieve this the seat pitch would be reduced to just 28 inches (71cm) and some seats would partially overlap the exit doors.
Airbus had developed a high-density version of the A330 which was snapped up by Cebu Pacific in 2014. The Cebu Pacific A330 remains the world’s most tightly configured with 436 Economy seats. The aircraft is configured with nine abreast seating in a 3-3-3 configuration which gives passengers just 16.5 inches (41.9cm) between armrests, which is a 3.75-5 centimetre reduction off the standard economy configurations found in most economy cabins. However, the new Airbus initiative would see the certified limit for the A330 lifted from 440 seats to 465 passengers. This would also require the installation of much smaller galleys which have proved very unpopular with cabin crew. Read: AirAsia X announces London, Dubai and Istanbul Read: Qatar Airways posts record profit See: Stunning video of Red Bull DC-6B About AirlineRatings.com Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world. Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations, as well as the airlines, own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate. Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.      

Have questions or want to share your thoughts?

Comments

No comments yet, be the first to write one.

Latest news and reviews

View more
Africa's safest airlines
Airline News

Africa's safest airlines

Jun 26, 2026

Josh Wood
Air Europa Business Class review
Airline Ratings review

Air Europa Business Class review

Jun 26, 2026

Josh Wood
The rise of STARLUX Airlines
Airline News

The rise of STARLUX Airlines

Jun 26, 2026

Airline Ratings
Southwest, JetBlue, and WestJet: who gives the best experience, safety and value?
Airline News

Southwest, JetBlue, and WestJet: who gives the best experience, safety and value?

Jun 26, 2026

Josh Wood

Featured articles

View more
EVA Airways Business Class: Still impressive, but not cutting edge
Airline Ratings review

EVA Airways Business Class: Still impressive, but not cutting edge

Jun 25, 2026

Airline Ratings
Malaysia Airlines recognised as a Seven Star PLUS safety rated airline
Airline News

Malaysia Airlines recognised as a Seven Star PLUS safety rated airline

Jun 24, 2026

Airline Ratings
STARLUX vs Delta Airlines from Taipai to North America and beyond
Airline News

STARLUX vs Delta Airlines from Taipai to North America and beyond

Jun 19, 2026

Sharon Petersen
The rise of STARLUX Airlines
Airline News

The rise of STARLUX Airlines

Jun 26, 2026

Airline Ratings