More shoulder room for window seat passengers, a spacious toilet design and increased space for cabin baggage.
These are among the features Airbus is plugging as it expands to single-aisle aircraft the “Airspace” interior design already revealed for its A350 and A330neo models.
The slick new A320 family version of the cabin was featured at this week’s Paris air show and means there will be a consistent design ethos applied to the European manufacturer’s narrow body and twin-engine widebodies.
But the new cabin, which competes with the Boeing Sky Interior already flying on newer Boeing 737s, will not appear as a full package until 2020.
The previously unveiled “Airspace” bins hold eight instead of five bags and can accommodate bigger pieces to increase the volume available to cabin luggage by 40 per cent.
Airbus argues this will mean quicker boarding times and a better experience for passengers.
New, less intrusive sidewall panels give passengers another inch (2.5cms) of shoulder space, while new spacious lavatory deigns coloured mood lighting, anti-bacterial coatings, automatic aroma dispenser, sound and touchless options.
The window bezel has been redesigned to include integrated window shades and improve the view and LED lighting provides 16.4 million colour options for personalised mood lighting.
“The A350 XWB cabin has proven extremely popular, with great feedback not only from passengers, but from design professionals,” said Airbus Commercial Aircraft executive vice president product Kiran Rao. “This was great validation that gave us confidence to apply the design language to the A330neo and now to the A320 Family.”
Airbus will also bring a modular in-flight entertainment package to the mix which will feature everything from older style overhead videos to in-seat on-demand and wireless systems.
