China Southern Airlines is to launch Thompson Aero Seating’s new VantageXL+ product, a seat iteration optimised specifically for the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 widebodies.
The Chinese carrier is taking the Thompson seat for its new fleet of A350s, which are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The new seat builds on the company’s existing VantageXL business class product.
“The XL product has been a long-standing successful product for Thompson.” says Andy Jacobs, senior industrial designer at Thomson Aero Seating. ”This is the first time we have launched a product that specifically caters for the 787 and A350.
”It gives a wider footwell, it’s about half an inch wider on the seat, we’ve resculpted some of the geometry leading into the footwell and sculpted a wave on the top. There’s a lot of subtle geometry changes, even though it looks like quite a similar seat.
”We’ve just tried to make use of that extra space on the aircraft,” he adds. ”There have been tweaks in the past to try and adapt this to the platform, but never a ground-up [design].”
Thompson Aero Seating chief executive Keith Anderson says: ”We have worked in close collaboration with the airline team to bring to life what started as a spark of an idea. Our philosophy at Thompson is always to enhance and evolve our seats and China Southern has been a great partner in enabling us to do this.”
The Chinese carrier will also take an enhanced front row as part of the shipset, accommodating four passengers. The VantageXL+ First suites enable a first-class experience at the same passenger density as an all-business-class cabin.
China Southern Airlines executive vice-president Yongchao Zeng says: ”The enhanced front row adds an extra element to the flight experience, and we are delighted to be able to offer this option.”
Thompson earlier during AIX announced a deal to provide Vantage business-class seats for Thai Airways’ new fleet of Airbus A321neos.
The show also marked the official launch of the manufacturer’s new VantageNOVA First product. This builds on the VantageNOVA platform, the premium angled seat for twin-aisle aircraft Thompson officially launched in January, to make use of the front row to create an enhanced business-class experience.
Notably it has utilised the reverse herringbone central column to create a configuration under which, with the seats oriented towards the centre of the aircraft, four passengers could dine or socialise within the space. This has been made possible by the use of secondary seating areas, or ‘buddy seats’, in the front row.
Thompson Aero Seating chief commercial officer Andy Morris says: “We are incredibly proud of the market’s response to our VantageNOVA platform. The launch of VantageNOVA First offers airlines even greater opportunity to provide truly unique experiences for their passengers.”
