AIX 2024: Airbus Reveals New A330neo Airspace Cabin Features, Showcases AA’s Upcoming A321XLR Interiors
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At its annual media briefing, Airbus unveiled a new product standard for its A330neo Airspace cabin, which will be available from 2027 onwards, and invited American Airlines (AA) onstage to share details of plans for the cabin interiors onboard its incoming A321XLRs.
The new A330neo Airspace cabin is an updated version of the original product, which was announced in 2016 and launched with TAP Air Portugal two years later.
Its features include an upgraded welcome panel and larger hero light, which the OEM’s VP Cabin Marketing Ingo Wuggetzer said stretches “all the way from door one to door two.” The new welcome panel will be standard in all new A330neos delivered from Q1 2026, with the hero light to follow as a premium option in 2027. Airlines will have the ability to customize both.
Wuggetzer added that changes to lining in the sidewall, ceiling and door frames mean the cabin is an impressive 100 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, which is the equivalent of ten carry-on bags.
The cabin’s new sidewall panel creates an additional five millimetres of shoulder clearance and 50 millimetres more foot space, and includes the option of including Gentex’s 100 percent electronically dimmable windows that provide 99.9% darkness. A slide as part of the accompanying presentation also mentioned a “quieter cabin,” but no further specifics were provided.
“The A330neo has the highest NPS score in the market, but we always want to go further and do better,” posited Wuggetzer.
Elsewhere during the briefing, American Airlines’ VP Customer Experience Kim Cisek presented the carriers’ cabin interior plans for the Airbus XLR. AA placed an order for 50 of the type in June 2019, the first of which is scheduled to be delivered in December this year after being pushed back in 2023. AA is currently the biggest single carrier operator of A320 family aircraft in the world.
“We have brought a wide-body experience to a narrow-body aircraft,” Cisek explained. “We’ll be introducing our flagship business-class suite product on the Airbus A321XLR. That means a single-aisle, lie-flat seat that will be equipped with open living space, personal stowage, lighting and privacy elements including suite doors.”
She also mentioned the inclusion of Airbus’ XL bins, which AA launched back in April 2019 with the introduction of its A321neo jets, as well as “wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, 4K monitors and USB AC and AC power units.”
Although the exact configuration remains undecided, the cabin will also feature premium economy and economy-class cabins. “This will be the first ever premium economy offering in the US where we will have privacy headrests, amenity kits and other soft products,” Cisek continued.
She confirmed that the cabin would incorporate all elements of the premium Airspace product, as well as a new trim and finish that will hopefully be rolled out across AA’s long-haul aircraft as part of a new brand identity.
Interestingly, the aircraft will feature seatback in-flight entertainment screens, a feature which is missing from the rest of AA’s narrow-body fleet.
With its 4,700 nautical mile, 11-hour range, Cisek said the aircraft will initially replace its A321T jet flying on transcontinental routes and then look to operate both seasonal and year-round routes to popular destinations AA hasn’t been able to serve with existing wide-body aircraft.
As of the end of April 2024, Airbus had received orders for 541 XLR aircraft across 26 customers.