If you have flown on this new aircraft recently, you might have noticed—or if not, pay attention to seat 31E on board Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300. This seat bears a “Do not occupy this seat” sign, lacks seat belts, and cannot be selected during booking or check-in.
But why is that? Why does the aircraft have 150 seats, yet only 149 passengers are allowed? The explanation lies in complex safety regulations.
When the Airbus A220-300, originally known as the Bombardier CS300, was introduced, it was certified for a maximum of 145 seats, in line with safety regulations based on the number of exits (four doors and two over-wing exits). In 2021, Airbus received approval from EASA to increase the seating capacity to 149. Air France was the first carrier to adopt this configuration. As part of this approval, EASA required the evacuation slides for the over-wing exits to be modified to include two descent lines instead of one.
However, this still doesn’t explain why the 150th seat exists but cannot be used. The reason, again, ties back to safety regulations concerning evacuation procedures. As confirmed by Airbus to AvioRadar, if the 150th seat were to be occupied, the aircraft would need two additional over-wing exits, bringing the total to four. Such a modification would raise questions about its financial feasibility for the airline.
It’s worth noting that Airbus currently offers an even denser seating configuration, allowing up to 160 seats on the A220-300. However, this configuration would require the installation of two additional over-wing exits. Moreover, the 151st seat introduces another challenge related to cabin crew requirements. International regulations mandate one crew member for every 50 passenger seats on a single deck. Therefore, once the 151st seat is added, an additional cabin crew member would be required, bringing the total to four. This raises questions about the cost-effectiveness of such a configuration, especially since no airline has yet ordered an A220-300 with more than 149 seats.
So, the next time you check the seat map of an Airbus A220-300 and notice a “missing” seat in row 31, remember that it’s left vacant for your safety. Plus, that middle seat in row 31 might just become the most coveted spot, as it will always remain unoccupied.
