Air France Presents A350 Cabin Upgrade at AIX2023
Originally published on Airways
Air France (AF) has unveiled a new cabin design for its Airbus A350 aircraft at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany.
The French flag carrier presented its new travel standard for Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins to be introduced on the airline’s future Airbus A350 fleet.
Photo: Air France via Twitter
New Business, Premium, and Economy Seats
Air France showcased the business class seat, which features a sliding door giving passengers complete privacy, at AIX. The business seat also turns into a full-flat bed that is 6 ½ feet (2 meters) long and almost 2 feet (53 centimeters) in width. For couples traveling together, the middle seats in the cabin have a central panel that can be lowered.
Each of the 48 seats in the business class cabin will feature direct aisle access. The seat will feature some of the latest technology with a 20-inch 4K HD in-flight entertainment screen (IFE) for each business class seat. The IFE screen will also feature a Bluetooth connection allowing passengers to watch entertainment through their own headphones.
While not showcased at AIX, the airline’s new Premium Economy cabin will feature 32 seats, offering a brand-new recliner seat. These seats offer 37 inches of legroom and 19 inches of width. Each seat will be equipped with USB-A and USB-C charging ports.
Finally, the Economy cabin, which will feature 212 seats, will each have 31 inches of legroom and 18 inches of width. These seats will also offer a 119-degree recliner, a smartphone or tablet holder in the backseat, and USB-C and USB-A charging outlets.
The Premium Economy and Economy cabin seats will have a 13.3 inch 4K HD IFE screen that will offer Bluetooth connection. In all cabins, travelers can send and receive messages free of charge and check their flight status. Air France will also offer Wi-Fi for purchase.
Air France A350 Business Seat. Photo: Air France Via Twitter
When Will the Seats Be Available?
While the new cabin design is already available on select Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in AF’s fleet, we expect them on the new Airbus A350s that will join the French flag carrier’s fleet between now and 2025.
Air France has ordered 41 examples of the aircraft and has received 20. The aircraft can seat 292 passengers in three cabins: 48 lie-flat business class seats, 32 seats in premium economy, and 212 seats in economy. These new cabins are already available on select Boeing 777-300ERs. Air France has updated the cabins of 12 777-300ERs in its fleet.
The 21 A350s AF has on order will be progressively delivered until 2025. The first A350 to feature the new cabin will take to the skies in July 2023.
