At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) held in Hamburg, Airbus announced that it is introducing novelties to the cabin of the A220 aircraft, which includes the already known Airspace cabin concept. The most noticeable change is the larger XL compartments for hand luggage. The Airspace cabin will be introduced after 2025 for new aircraft, after which Airbus will offer the retrofit existing aircraft with a new interior. The Airspace cabin in Airbus is not new, and it is possible to install it in the A350, A330neo and A320neo aircraft.
Airbus is introducing the mentioned innovation after consultation with existing and future operators of the A220 aircraft. The already mentioned larger luggage compartments will offer 20% more space for passengers’ luggage compared to the current compartment in the A220, which is already leading in capacity in its class. In addition, Airbus offers redesigned and improved passenger service units – PSUs, which will be manufactured by Astrtonics. In addition, the Airspace cabin also includes an improved appearance of the overhead cabin along with Airbus’ famous improved ambient lighting.
Speaking at the launch of the Airspace cabin for the A220, Airbus Head of Advanced Cabin Design, Paul Edwards, said:
“The A220 cabin already offers a superior passenger experience and shares with Airspace the same DNA elements that are the basis of ambience, comfort, service and design. With the introduction of the A220 XL overhead compartments, we have further enhanced that harmonization by integrating the Airspace design language and brought us one step closer to the superior passenger experience that our A350, A330neo and A320neo customers are already used to.”
As an alternative to the complete Airspace cabin, Airbus will offer from 2025 the option of retrofitting the cabin of existing A220 aircraft only with the installation of larger XL luggage compartments, which provide space for an additional 19 cabin suitcases. In addition, the new compartment design, largely taken from the A320neo family of aircraft, provides a saving in the total weight of the aircraft of 136 kg, as well as lower maintenance requirements due to the simplified design.
Airspace cabins will, as before, be an option for installation, and are primarily intended for aircraft that perform longer flights, medium to long range.
