Air France’s Airbus A350s Will Be Delivered With New Cabins Starting in July

A little over a year ago, Air France revealed a new cabin design that was set to be deployed on several aircraft types over the course of a few years as part of a fleet renewal initiative.

The new cabins have been installed on select Boeing 777 aircraft in the airline’s fleets, and now the airline is sharing information regarding the next aircraft to see these new interiors: the Airbus A350.

Let’s dive into the details!

First A350 With New Cabin To Be Delivered in July

Currently, Air France has 20 Airbus A350-900 aircraft in its fleet. However, the airline ordered a total of 41 of these planes from Airbus.

The next jet, named “Aix-en-Provence,” to join its fleet will be delivered in July, complete with new business class, premium economy, and economy cabins. From that point on, all remaining A350s will be delivered with the new cabin designs and features.

These newly delivered planes will feature a total of 292 seats. Business class will contain 48 seats, premium economy will have 32, and economy will have 212 seats.

Let’s take a closer look at each new cabin:

Business Class

Arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone configuration, the new A350 business class seats will adopt features introduced on the 777-300ER including closing doors, lie-flat recline, wireless charging capabilities, high-end materials, noise-canceling headphones, 20-inch 4K IFE screens, USB-A and USB-C power ports, and more.

But, the new cabins on the A350 take things 1 step further with a small touchscreen tablet that can control the seat’s various functions.

Just like the 777, seats in the first row at the bulkhead feature significantly more space, making these seats more akin to a first class product in many ways.

Premium Economy

The new A350 premium economy seat will be largely identical to that found on refurbished 777s.

They will be arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration and will offer 19 inches of width and 37 inches of pitch. Premium economy passengers also get 4K IFE monitors, though they’re a bit smaller than in business class at 13.3 inches.

Passengers also get Bluetooth capabilities, USB-A and USB-C charging, redesigned cushions, 4-way headrests, 121-degree recline, noise-canceling headphones, and more.

Economy

The economy cabin will be arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration with seats that measure 18 inches wide and offer 31 inches of pitch.

An update to a previous version of this seat, this version will feature tablet or smartphone holders, a nice feature for those who prefer to download content on their devices before boarding.

Just like premium economy, economy passengers will get a 13.3-inch 4K screen, USB-A and USB charging, and Bluetooth capabilities.

Final Thoughts

Air France is going to take delivery of additional Airbus A350 aircraft starting in July. From that point, the newly-delivered aircraft will feature all-new cabins that mirror — and improve upon — what the airline introduced with select Boeing 777 aircraft.

It’s great to see the airline be ambitious with its new onboard products, and we can’t wait until they’re featured on a much larger portion of its long-haul fleet — and try it for ourselves, of course.