British Airways Neo Interior
Elevating The Shorthaul Experience
In March 2024 British Airways announced a £7bn investment plan at modernising its entire business. Among the 600+ initiatives is the airline’s commitment to the next generation of Airbus A320 and A321neo aircraft for its shorthaul network, complete with new seats and cabin interiors. Acumen led the design and development of the new cabin interior working collaboratively with other British suppliers from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to craft a modern yet quintessentially British interior.
Client
Year
Background
Aligning with the future longhaul design strategy
In October 2022, British Airways enlisted Acumen to redefine the cabin interiors of its new A320 and A321neo aircraft, aligning with the evolving design strategy that Acumen had established for the future A380 retrofit program and longhaul fleet. Seeking consistency across the customer journey, British Airways aimed for a seamless transition from longhaul to shorthaul travel experiences. While adapting features from wide-body aircraft to smaller ones posed challenges, the goal remained to build upon the new British Airways wide-body interior strategy, incorporating innovative materials for a sustainable future.
Challenges
The overall Airbus design programme was little over 19 months – from ITCM in Oct 2022 through to aircraft EIS in April 2024. British Airways chose the Collins Meridian seat for the new shorthaul cabin featuring a newly designed detachable table. The table called the ‘bridge’ attaches over the centre seat to create two separated Club Europe seats, all of which would be manufactured in Northern Ireland.
Given the tight timescales the scope for design was focused on the seat CMF and dress cover design, as well as some modifications to an existing bridge table design. British Airways also decided to partner with Sabeti Wain Aerospace renowned for their expertise in aircraft seat dress cover manufacturing based in High Wycombe, England.
Translating a vision
Inspired by the rich history of British textile design
Despite the short time constraints, Acumen swiftly translated a vision for British Airways shorthaul that would transform the look and feel of the cabin. The heart of the design strategy was the focus to re-assert ownership of the colour blue across the brand experience. This was achieved by embracing a contemporary muted charcoal blue, extending seamlessly from the entrance galley through the cabin to the rear of the aircraft, to create a holistic cabin environment.
Central to the cabin’s ambience is a signature pattern inspired by the rich history of British textile design. A pattern that is deeply rooted in British Airways’ heritage. Acumen reinterpreted an original herringbone inspired pattern for the leather dress covers to create the signature hallmark that would seamlessly connect with the design of the future widebody cabin interiors.
A masterclass in collaboration
Collaborating with Sabeti, Acumen crafted design templates for the signature pattern that would be used to form the dress cover padding. A rich charcoal blue leather was developed with the Scottish leather supplier Muirhead, complimented with a muted red leather to the headrest boxing , adding a warm brand accent to the cabin. Sabeti’s expert upholsterers developed the pattern through a series of workshops in High Wycombe and eventually into a machined metal tool for final production. During the workshops several stitching techniques and accent thread colours were explored to define the final dress cover specification creating a unique British crafted dress cover design.
As well as the dress cover Acumen worked with Collins to customise the design of the bridge table to incorporate the leather padding and a contrast stitching, along with an enlarged cocktail area featuring a warm oak wood grain infused thermoplastic developed with Kydex in the USA. The infused oak wood grain is specifically installed at a 45 degree angle to create a mitred design to echo the herringbone pattern in the dress cover.
Acumen worked with Airbus alongside the British Airways design team to specify the cabin interior for the future fleet of A320neos. This included the selection of colour and material options from the Airbus ICS ( Interior Colour Specification ) document for the cabin, lavatories and lighting. British Airways requested that the carpet and curtain should be the same across shorthaul and widebody aircraft, acting as unifying brand elements for the customer. As the Airbus programme would adopt these new designs first, it was possible to incorporate sustainability into the cabin ensuring that the carpet was made from 100% recycled Nylon. The curtain was also designed using 100% wool, making this easier to recycle at end of life.
The charcoal blue laminate also was developed to be a unifying brand element across wide and narrowbody aircraft. Applied across galleys, monuments and the forward cabin bulkhead the laminate was created to mimic a soft textured painted wall. At the rear of the cabin a bespoke charcoal blue herringbone laminate print , in various shades of dark blue was developed to create a feature wall to add depth and texture.
A warm dark oak wood NTF (non-textile flooring) was chosen for the entrance galley areas which also flows into the lavatories, to bring a warmer more residential feel to the cabin experience. To complete the cabin a modern iteration of the British Airways logo (speedmarque) is located on the left front cabin wall. Finished in a warm nickel metal it brings a softer yet contemporary detail to the cabin.
The Result
The new shorthaul cabin embodies a British Modern Classic interior, blending progressive elements with traditional elements, that draw inspiration from the brand’s rich heritage. The new cabins have a premium and timeless look that reflects the sophistication and elegance of British craftsmanship. The fusion of past and contemporary elements culminates in a sophisticated and timeless travel experience, symbolizing the airline’s commitment to excellence and innovation.
