British Airways

The Approach

The extensive retrofit programme required close collaboration across multiple specialist suppliers, including a working partnership with design agency Tangerine, responsible for the airline’s new First Class suite design.

Acumen led the development of the wider cabin interior, bringing together the many design workstreams under a unified vision to create a more cohesive, contemporary and premium onboard experience from nose to tail.

At the outset of the programme, Acumen worked with British Airways to develop a design strategy called ‘A Modern British Signature’, which balanced British heritage with a confident, contemporary outlook.

This vision informed every element of the cabin experience, from colour and materials through to spatial design, onboard features and customer touchpoints.

Four pillars guided every design decision:

• Warm and welcoming
Creating a strong sense of arrival shaped by warmth and British hospitality.

• Comforting and familiar
Delivering an intuitive, home-like experience built on comfort and recognition.

• Confident and progressive
Expressing British Airways through a modern, clear and self-assured design language.

• Individual and eclectic
Celebrating the depth and character of British design by blending heritage with contemporary detail.

Unifying Elements – Base Palette

Finishes that unify the cabins

The Acumen team focused on creating a unifying design palette that would be the thread through all cabins, including:

• Various shades of blue ‘paint textured’ laminates
• Charcoal blue leather
• Deep red accent leather
• Warm nickel finishes to soften metallic elements
• Oak wood laminates to introduce warmth and tactility
• Dark oak parquet wood flooring
• Residential ‘Berber’ style loop pile carpet

Another defining element of the interior was the evolution of the herringbone pattern, a design motif with deep roots in British architecture, interiors and textiles, and long associated with British Airways. Reimagined as a contemporary chevron design, the pattern appears throughout the aircraft, from flooring and laminates to fabrics and architectural features, creating a subtle but distinctive brand signature. The design language runs through oak parquet flooring, tiled laminates and bulkhead branding panels.

Creating a new cabin identity

Acumen developed a series of bespoke cabin feature panels working closely with ASI (Airline Services Interiors), that help define the character of each space while reinforcing a consistent experience across the aircraft.

In First and Club World, illuminated chevron-inspired panels create striking architectural focal points, while World Traveller Plus incorporates a more refined metallic interpretation of the design. Each panel features an illuminated outline of the British Airways Speedmarque, creating a contemporary expression of the brand within the cabin environment.

Evolving Club World

The evolution of the Club World suite in collaboration with Collins Aerospace required a tailored approach to functionality. On the Airbus A380, an open-access side stowage was introduced to improve usability, featuring warm oak wood laminates and deep red accents.

The redesigned environment balances darker exterior finishes with a lighter, brighter interior palette, helping the suite feel more spacious and welcoming. A speckled off-white thermoplastic has been introduced on the side console complemented by an off-white central divider, while a palette of charcoal blue leather and light-toned fabrics creates an open, contemporary atmosphere from the moment customers step into the suite.

Warm oak finishes, signature deep red accents and brighter surfaces work together to create a premium space that feels contemporary, residential and distinctly British.

World Traveller Plus and World Traveller

In World Traveller Plus, Acumen collaborated with Recaro to refine the overall customer experience, through enhanced privacy, improved material quality, alongside seamless integration of in-flight entertainment features.

To create a sense of expansive personal space, the seatback shells remain light in tone, while the aisle-side surfaces are finished in charcoal blue, aligning with the wider cabin finishes. Branded details, such as the introduction of deep red accent leather to the headrest boxing, also provide a premium touchpoint.

The same design language extends into the World Traveller cabin, ensuring a consistent aesthetic and cohesive visual identity throughout the aircraft.

New seat fabrics were developed for each cabin, displaying richer textures and a more residential look and feel. Variations in scale, colour and detailing help differentiate each cabin while maintaining continuity throughout the aircraft.

The signature chevron pattern was also reinterpreted as a family of dress covers spanning Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller, building on the same pattern developed for the airline’s A321 fleet, creating another consistent visual thread across the cabin experience.

Designed beyond the seat

Acumen’s design approach extended well beyond seating, encompassing galleys, stowage areas, lavatories and key customer touchpoints throughout the aircraft. Particular emphasis was placed on the boarding experience, reflecting the warmth and hospitality of the British Airways brand.

Working collaboratively with ASI and Safran, Acumen developed the bespoke feature panels for the main entrance galleys on both decks. Combining warm oak finishes with illuminated chevron detailing, these architectural features establish a distinctive welcome while reinforcing the cohesive design language throughout the aircraft.

On the lower deck of the Airbus A380, Acumen worked with Diehl Aviation to transform the understairs stowage area into a more refined wardrobe for First bedding, elevating both functionality and the premium presentaton of the cabin. Acumen also designed bespoke branding panels, in a joint collaboartion with ASI and Diehl, to transform this prominent entrance feature creating a distinctive and welcoming first impression for British Airways’ First customers.

The Club Kitchen

A feature of the programme is the new Club Kitchen concept in collaboration with Safran, designed to create a more premium, hospitality-led environment.

Inspired by premium hotels and contemporary lounges, the space combines oak surfaces, integrated downlighting and carefully curated materials featuring dark charcoal shelving with LED strip lighting highlighting glassware and contents. A fluted translucent plastic back panel reflects and softens light, while the same detail is carried through onto the bespoke fridge door for a cohesive finish.

A Club Kitchen is located on the upper deck forward galley area and a new larger Club Kitchen is positioned further back in the cabin at door 2. This also includes a dedicated customer dwell space with a standing shelf and fluted light feature that enhances the experience, providing a more social and relaxed environment within the Club World cabin.

Elevated spaces on board

New and refurbished galleys were carefully considered as part of the wider cabin design, transforming these operational areas into more cohesive and welcoming entrance and transitional spaces.

Collaborating closely with Safran, Acumen drew inspiration from high-end contemporary kitchens, introducing matt charcoal blue laminates, colour-matched trims, latches and trolley doors to create a cleaner, more integrated and architectural aesthetic.

Acumen also worked with Diehl to develop the onboard lighting scenes, enhancing the new materials and finishes, creating a warmer cabin atmosphere and ensuring consistency with the lighting experience across British Airways’ latest Airbus A350 fleet.

The Result

The redesigned Airbus A380 establishes a clear and future-ready cabin identity for British Airways.

Rich blue tones, warm natural materials, advanced lighting and bespoke architectural details combine to create a welcoming, premium and contemporary onboard experience.

A consistent design language runs across every cabin, strengthening brand recognition while allowing each cabin to maintain its own distinct identity.

The result is ‘A Modern British Signature’: a future-facing cabin design that celebrates British heritage while delivering a more refined, hospitality-led experience for modern travellers.