Airbus revamps interior of popular A320

Airbus has unveiled a new interior design for its best-selling passenger aircraft, the A320.

The new “Airspace” interior for the single-aisle jet follows the same concept as Airbus previously introduced on its new twin-aisle aircraft, the A350. This means that passengers can look forward to the largest overhead storage bins in the industry, ambient lighting and “more window space” with “unobstructed view[s]”.

“The A350 XWB cabin has proven extremely popular, with great feedback not only from passengers, but from design professionals,” commented Dr Kiran Rao, Airbus’ executive vice president of product strategy. “This was great validation that gave us confidence to apply the design language to the… A320 family.”

Perhaps the most practical new feature of the new interior concept is the increase in overhead baggage storage space. Airbus claims that the new ‘Airspace Bin’ is the largest in its class, providing space for eight bags instead of five, and being strong enough to accommodate heavier bags.

“The A320 offers airlines 40% more volume for their passengers’ bags, accommodating larger carry-on bag dimensions than competing single-aisle airliners,” said Ingo Wuggetzer, Airbus’ vice president of cabin marketing. “More overhead space means quicker boarding times, a value-add for passenger, and a better overall experience.”

The interiors also include coloured LED lighting, new sidewall panels that increase the width of the cabin,  more spacious lavatories, and the provision for in-seat power outlets and wireless connectivity.

The new Airspace interior package will be launched in 2020 and will be available as a retrofit for existing A320 operators. More than 7,000 A320s are currently in service around the world, forming the backbone of many airlines’ fleets, including AirAsia, easyJet, JetBlue and IndiGo.