While airplane seats have gotten tighter over the years (at least in economy), there’s no denying that the aesthetics of cabins have improved, between mood lighting, the size of overhead bins, sleek cabin design, etc.
This is an area where Boeing has really led the way, both when it comes to widebody and narrowbody planes. For example, there’s the Boeing Sky Interior design with beautiful mood lighting, sleek curves, and big overhead bins.
Boeing Sky Interior
While Airbus has done a good job with the interiors of their new A350s, other than that they generally have pretty outdated interiors. The bins aren’t very sexy, the mood lighting is limited, etc. So while Airbus is changing that with their A350s and A330neos, they haven’t done much for the rest of their product line.
Airbus A350 interior
Well, Airbus has finally announced that they’ll be introducing a new Airspace interior for their A320 aircraft. This will be available around 2020, both on newly delivered aircraft, and also as a retrofit option for existing aircraft.
The new Airbus A320 Airspace interior
What can we expect from these new interiors? According to the press release:
- The Largest Overhead Storage Compartment (OHSC) in its Class: Called the “Airspace Bin”, it not only allows eight, instead of five bags, per four-frame bin, but also accommodates bigger and heavier bags stowed vertically.
- Iconic Ceiling Lighting: Featuring a fully customized on-board luminary experience, that begins at the entrance with a welcoming ambiance and continues throughout the aircraft with variable lighting features.
- New Sidewall Panels with Increased Cabin Width: One more inch at shoulder level for extra personal space.
- New Window Bezel: The new fully-integrated window shades provide passengers more window space and unobstructed view, evoking the feel of the A350.
- New Lavatory Design: The new spacious design also features colored mood lighting, along with anti-bacterial coatings, automatic aroma dispenser, sound and optional touchless options.
- Coloured LED Lighting: Leveraging 16.4 million color options, the new custom-cabin mood lighting creates a personalized in-flight experience at 30,000 feet throughout the cabin.
- Harmonized Door Surround: The new lines of the frames match the Airspace design of the A350 XWB and the A330neo.
Here are some more pictures of the new interiors:
The new Airbus A320 Airspace interior
The new Airbus A320 Airspace interior
The new Airbus A320 Airspace interior
This looks like a very nice, long overdue improvement on the part of Airbus. I can’t wait to see this in person, though I guess it’ll be another few years at the earliest before we see one of these in the skies.
What do you make of the new Airbus Airspace A320 interiors?
i have just flown with a new easyjet a321neo from Prague to Milan. it had the new airspace interior with XL bins: it has a very beautiful cabin. I liked the light orange LED strips placed under the bins and the bins are huge.
For the A320, the interior hasn't changed in 30 years (not exaggerating). Every time I get on one I think to myself, "This is what state-of-the art flying in 1987 must have been like, minus the smoking section of course".
At least Delta is doing something about it on their fleet.
WOW, sexy plane, indeed!
Looks like you can have any color you want as long as it's blue....
The cabin does look good.
Yes, it all sounds so nice, but has anyone actually traveled in Y of late on new A320s or Delta's refurbed ones? Most acft off the line now sport the wonderful Airbus Space Saver toilets with 2 hideously thin toilets beside the galley. So in addition to 6 extra seats, you get a row that is almost in the galley, a shrunken galley where the crews have nowhere to go, line-ups in the galley beside...
Yes, it all sounds so nice, but has anyone actually traveled in Y of late on new A320s or Delta's refurbed ones? Most acft off the line now sport the wonderful Airbus Space Saver toilets with 2 hideously thin toilets beside the galley. So in addition to 6 extra seats, you get a row that is almost in the galley, a shrunken galley where the crews have nowhere to go, line-ups in the galley beside the crews and food (such as it is now) and of course, toilets that are incredibly cramped. You have an a great blog Lucky, but sometimes you need to walk to the back or ask the crews how the new configuration is going over with staff and customers. The answer is terrible. Especially now with longer flights with the NEO and you'll see a high % of pax having to use the facilities so does it work? It doesn't. People standing in the galley holding in gas while waiting to go to the loo. Ugh! Restaurants can't place toilets in the middle of the kitchen, so why can airlines? Where are any regulatory bodies on this matter? It's simply disgusting and new bins and lighting can't mask the experience. Meanwhile, the media reprint the Airbus sales brouchures and never bother asking a couple questions.
I'd rather have wider armrests. Any man 6' tall or more can't avoid touching shoulders with the next seat over if that person is an adult male.
Not sure I understand how those overhead bins will have more space than the current Sky Interior bins? Hard to see from the renderings where all the additional space comes from or how bags would fit vertically... I get the Boeing design because they actually go up into previously blocked fuselage curvature/ceiling space. These don't look far off from current design.
With all of the overhead bin space and lighting which lends to such an open feel, this is the perfect plane on which to introduce 4-4 narrowbody seating.
Weird. All of the factory delivered A321's at Delta from the past 1-2 years have featured the new Airbus interior. Its not quite airspace, but it has the ceiling and overhead bins from the a350.
@Lucky - Boeing just unveiled the 737 Max 10, this might have been Airbus's attempt to not let Boeing get all of the Limelight.
"just because these things are available doesn’t mean airlines will install them though, right?"
Maybe JetBlue will decide it's time to refresh the blue fleet?
This is too futuristic-looking for me. I can hardly take it seriously.
Whose got sexy bins?
just because these things are available doesn't mean airlines will install them though, right?
Good to see Airbus catching up here. I shake my head every time I get in a Lufthansa A380, all of which have been delivered in the last several years yet (as far as I know) none with overhead bins that swivel down for easier access, a feature Boeing has had on the 777 for 20+ years now.