Airlines will soon be able to transport more travelers in the largest Airbus model. Economy rows with ten seats are then easily possible in the A350 – thanks to modified cabin walls.
When Boeing mentions Airbus aircraft or vice versa, it is usually only in comparisons. And in comparisons in which their own jets have the edge. In the cabin of the Boeing 777X, which can currently be seen at the Farnborough Airshow, there is a placeholder on the wall with the inscription A350 and the width of 39.6 centimetres.
The specification shows how much wider the cabin of the Boeing 777-9 is compared to the cabin of the Airbus A350. What Boeing didn’t know when manufacturing the placeholder: Airbus will make the A350 cabin wider in the future. This was announced by Airbus sales manager Christian Scherer in Farnborough in an interview with reporters from Flight Global and aeroTELEGRAPH.
«20 to 30 additional seats»
“We are in the process of creating an increased volume in the cabin that will enable us to achieve a ten-seat economy class configuration very comfortably in the A350,” said Scherer. Depending on the seat spacing, there would be space for a total of “20 to 30 additional seats” in the economy cabin in the rear of an Airbus A350.
Today, an economy row in the A350 typically fits nine seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. In the future, 3-4-3 seating will be possible without any problems. Currently, only Air Caraïbes and French Bee operate A350s with rows of ten, but only manage to do so by choosing seats that are just 16.5 inches, or 42 centimeters, wide. That’s about four centimeters less than the standard seat.
The first airline with a new cabin is due to start soon
According to Scherer, Airbus gains the additional space by adapting the cabin walls. Sales manager Scherer did not reveal exactly how many centimeters wider the cabin of the A350 will be as a result.
Airbus had already considered a 10-seater row of seats in the A350 in the past. However, now it is possible without sacrificing the seat width, according to Scherer. Therefore, the new offer is also something “that is gradually getting a great response on the market”. The new cabin is not yet in service with any airline, but that will change shortly.
A380 no longer available, Boeing brings 777-9
So far, the aircraft manufacturer has specified a maximum number of 440 seats for the A350-900 and typical three-class seating of 300 to 350 seats. The A350-1000 has a maximum of 480 seats and 350 to 410 seats in a typical three-class configuration.
Since Airbus stopped building the A380, the A350-1000 is now the largest model. But that’s not big enough for Emirates President Tim Clark, who still publicly mourns the superjumbo. And with the 777X, Boeing will launch a significantly larger aircraft with 426 seats in a typical two-class layout.