Airlines

Airbus widens A350 cabin in mile-high real estate war

Is the new Etihad A350 a game changer? Private cabin for business class and Pro luxury for economy.

Airbus quietly dropped a slogan that had it in a contentious elbow-space dispute with its archrival a decade ago when it unveiled a wider and longer cabin for its A350 in the race for wide-body aircraft sales with Boeing.

Airbus scraps A350 contract with Qatar Airways in feud(Opens in a new browser tab)

The two aircraft manufacturers frequently argue over fuel efficiency. The most recent attack targets some of the world’s most valuable real estate: the large jet’s cabin, where luxury meets expense.

To make the A350s lighter and more flexible, Airbus announced in a blog that it was introducing a New Production Standard (NPS). The cabin will be lengthened by moving a bulkhead, constricting the cockpit, and removing four inches from interior walls.

The Airbus upgrade, which is crucial for the resurgent wide-body jet market competition, allows up to 34 more seats to reach more than 400 on an A350-1000 compared to the 406-seat Boeing 777X. Additional seats have two effects on airlines: they can increase revenue if they are filled, and they lower the cost per seat, which can lower prices and influence the type of aircraft that an airline chooses to purchase.

Airbus delivers its 500th A350(Opens in a new browser tab)

Nine 18-inch wide seats are currently found in each row in the majority of A350 economy cabins. This will be increased to 18.7 inches by the A350 NPS.Seats are 17 inches wide on airlines that opt to add an extra seat to make a row 10 abreast. According to industry sources, this makes it simpler to sell the A350 to major carriers who are discontinuing the 16.4-inch seats available in the 10-row A350’s current model.

Airbus was promoting 18-inch seats while the 787 had nine instead of eight seats in a row, which was hurting sales of the A350. In order to compete with Boeing for seats, Airbus struggled with its large aircraft.

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Airlines

Air India Express Aircraft Engine Part Falls Outside Delhi Airport; DGCA Orders Probe

Air India Express flight skids off runway while landing at Kochi airport

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an inquiry following reports that metal fragments were discovered at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after an Air India Express flight made an emergency landing on Monday evening.

The emergency landing was prompted by a detected engine fault, but fortunately, the landing was executed safely without any injuries to the passengers.

The situation began when crew members of the Air India Express flight reported an engine issue, leading to the emergency landing. The DGCA has confirmed that a thorough investigation is underway and has directed that the aircraft undergo a comprehensive safety inspection.

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The discovery of metal debris outside the airport has raised concerns, prompting the DGCA to probe whether these fragments are linked to the aircraft involved in the emergency landing. Authorities are particularly focused on whether the metal pieces, which were found near the airport, originated from the same Air India Express flight that experienced engine trouble.

While preliminary assessments suggest that the debris could be a broken blade from an aircraft engine, the exact source remains unconfirmed. The airline has yet to verify if the metal fragments are from their aircraft.

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The Delhi Police, working in conjunction with the DGCA, have initiated their own investigation to determine the origin of the metal pieces. A technical team is set to analyze whether the fragments are associated with the aircraft in question. As the investigation continues, a case has been filed with the airport authority to address the matter.