The Airspace cabin concept from Airbus aims to provide a consistent passenger experience across the company’s range of aircraft types. And, from 2025, the A220 will participate in that design language, making Airspace available across the entirety of the Airbus product line.
The A220’s cabin already offers a superior passenger experience and shares with Airspace the same DNA elements based on ambience, comfort, service and design.
– Paul Edwards, Head of Advanced Cabin Design at Airbus
Most notable among the changes will be the addition of the A220 XL overhead bins. These will be similar to the XL bins on the A320neo family, with a fixed base and flip up doors. The current A220 bins rotate down from the ceiling. The new bins are deeper, accommodating more bags than the older models. Airbus estimates 19 additional cabin bags can be carried on an A220-300 with the update.
“Through the introduction of the A220 XL Bins we have further improved this harmonization by integrating the Airspace design language and bringing us one step closer to the elevated passenger experience that our A350, A330neo and A320neo customers are already accustomed to,” notes Paul Edwards, Head of Advanced Cabin Design at Airbus.
On the 3-seat side the bins are taller, allowing bags to be stowed on their side. On the 2-seat side the bags will lay flat.
With fewer moving parts Airbus expects increased reliability from the bins, lowering maintenance costs. The bins are also lighter, despite being more capacious. The overall cabin weight drops by about 300 pounds with the A220 XL bins installed.
Diehl was named as the supplier for the new bins.
The update also includes a revision of the passenger service unit under the bins. The tiny screen remains in play, but the light and gasper nozzles will be updated.
Astronics was named as the supplier for the new PSUs.
Airbus also confirms that the new interior will keep both old and new layouts on offer for airlines, even after Airspace debuts. The coexistence period is expected to last several years. The company will also make the Airspace design available as a retrofit for airlines to keep a consistent fleet if desired.
More news from Aircraft Interiors Expo 2023
- Crystal Cabin Awards short list: 80+ designs that will change the way you fly
- Finalists for 2023 Crystal Cabin Awards represent the future of passenger comfort
- ThinKom, Kontron partner for multi-constellation, multi-orbit, multi-modem IFC terminal
- Stellar Blu secures Boeing line-fit agreement
- Seamless finalizes QoE metrics, certifies first partner
- Recaro introduces PL3810, next generation of premium economy
- Jazeera saves weight, increases cabin capacity with Expliseat TiSeat E2
- Hughes signs on as OneWeb partner, launches new IFC options for airlines
- Recaro’s Xtend option allows exit row legroom shrink
- Aurora single-aisle lie-flat business class seats unveiled by Collins Aerospace
- Air Canada plans more free Wi-Fi with regional jet upgrades
- Unum Two launches as forward-facing business class option
- Collins brings galley inserts online with low-cost retrofit option
- Airbus HBCplus Ku-band providers selected
- ThinKom Plus launches, with hybrid LEO/GEO offering
- Air4All, Delta Flight Products team for wheelchair seating on board
- Testing the next step for LEO-based IFC
- JAL plans boost for inflight Wi-Fi service
- Airspace coming to A220 family
- InteliSence aims to boost premium cabin service with seat monitoring, analysis
- Seeking understanding in the IFC world
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Howard Miller says
Au revoir wide-body look and feel! 🙁
It was beautiful while it lasted.
Mark says
Boeing’s enlarged pivot bins for the 737 MAX provide a much better interior feel than the Airbus large fixed bins, especially on long-distance flights. I spent a lot of time on MD-80s and 757s after they extended the overhead bins, which made coach more claustrophobic. The pivot bins are a challenge when they are open, in that they take up a lot more room, but when closed, the coach cabin feels much less claustrophobic than the old interiors.
I think Airbus is making a mistake going back to fixed bins and away from pivot bins. I realize an asymmetric cabin like the A220, with two seats on one side, three on the other and an offset aisle creates challenges, and pivot bins may not work as well.
But the A320 family has plenty of room for large pivot bins. The prospect of spending nine hours on an A321XLR with these large fixed bins creating a claustrophobic cabin is not going to be good.