The airline Swiss is introducing the “Airspace” cabin concept in its A320neo series machines. This includes, in particular, larger luggage compartments and a new lighting system. The first two aircraft with the new A320neo cabin will begin scheduled service this month.

According to Swiss, the overhead bins are around 40 percent larger than, for example, in the Airbus A320ceo. They offer space for larger pieces of luggage of up to 61 x 40 x 25 centimetres. Up to four instead of three pieces of luggage can be placed next to each other in one luggage compartment, as these can be stowed vertically in the compartments.

The new lighting concept should be based on the biorhythm of the passengers, depending on the time of day or night. The lighting can be adjusted from warm red through intermediate tones to older blue. In the seat area, passengers should have more space in the shoulder area and the washrooms should now be easier to use for people with restricted mobility.

“Despite the crisis, as a premium carrier, we are constantly working to continue offering our passengers the highest quality standards. The modern and innovative cabin concept 'Airspace' from Airbus makes an important contribution to this for our customers on short-haul routes. We are very pleased to be able to offer you even more comfort with more space for your hand luggage and a new lighting concept adapted to your biorhythm," explains Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Chief Commercial Officer of Swiss.

HB-JDD and HB-JDE already have the new cabin

At the beginning of this month, the Lufthansa subsidiary took delivery of HB-JDD, the first Airbus A320neo equipped with the new cabin. This bears the baptismal name "Elm". The HB-JDE also has the new "Airspace" cabin and was christened "Mürren".

The aircraft will be used on SWISS's entire European route network. The maiden flight of an Airbus A320neo with a new cabin is planned for this month. Swiss now has five Airbus A320neo aircraft and two Airbus A321neo aircraft in its fleet. The remaining 18 Airbus A32Xneo (12 A320neo and 6 A321neo) will join the fleet by 2025.