Airbus is today unveiling a redesigned front staircase for the A380 that it says will create room for 20 more passengers. This is part of an ongoing campaign of cabin tweaks to boost the type’s capacity by up to 80 seats – something Toulouse believes could broaden the appeal of the slow-selling superjumbo.
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The airframer is showing on its stand a scale model of the staircase, which will be offered as an option on future orders. The feature could eventually become standard, and even be made available as a retrofit, says Roland Naudy, aircraft interiors marketing director for the A380.
The redesign sees the front stairs moved from door one to door two on the main deck and combined with the access to the crew rest area, currently at door two. Rather than facing forward, the stairs will be aligned to the left of the aircraft. On the upper deck, the staircase will be replaced by a new galley area.
The changes will make room on the main deck for typicallytwo additional business class seats, six premium economy and 12 economy seats, says Naudy.
Part of the reason for the redesign is that virtually all airports to which the A380 operates have facilities that allow direct access to both decks. This makes the staircase virtually redundant from a passenger point of view, Naudy says.
The new front staircase is one of a package of flexible “cabin enablers” that Airbus is showcasing in an effort to make the A380 “more efficient”. “We are fitting more capacity without compromising the aircraft,” Naudy adds.
Redesigned rear stairs are already offered in the Airbus catalogue. The spiral shape has been replaced by a more “square” design that allows trolleys to be stored as part of the stair complex. Moving trolleys from door four to the rear of the aircraft creates space for 14 economy seats, says Naudy. The option has been selected by an existing A380 operator, he says, but is not in service yet.
Airbus is also promoting an 11-abreast economy configuration on the main deck, which it says adds an extra standard 18in-wide seat by moving the seat row closer to the sidewall, slightly narrowing the aisle and “optimising the arm rest design”.
The airframer is also offering a nine-abreast premium economy design for the main deck. Five A380 operators – Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Singapore Airlines – offer a premium economy cabin at eight- or seven-abreast, but no one has yet selected the nine-abreast configuration, says Airbus.
Airbus says that, taken together, its A380 changes could increase capacity by 80 seats – something it believes is critical as it transitions the branding of the superjumbo from a high-end transport offering the potential for bars and other upmarket communal zones to a high-capacity people mover. The airframer reckons the extra seats would equate to $12 million extra revenue for an airline per aircraft.
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Source: Flight Daily News
