Iberia reveals its latest A350 with a number of passenger experience improvements

In an early Christmas present to itself, Iberia has taken delivery of a “New Production Standard” Airbus A350 that includes what they describe as “low-speed improvements.”

However, there are improvements in the passenger experience too, with significant changes in the cabin.

Time to dive in.

According to the airline, the new Iberia A350 boasts new flap positions that allow the pilot to select the optimal configuration for each takeoff; and the retraction of the landing gear is faster, which allows the airplane to reach a configuration that presents less aerodynamic resistance faster.

In addition to this, the weight of the empty aircraft in the factory has been reduced through structural improvements and lighter equipment, which increases its efficiency and also contributes significantly to improving its performance at the most demanding airports – including those “hot & high”.

What about the insides?

Business Class

It seems the cabin has been refreshed. Iberia will bring in a new seat that brings private and exclusive personal space for each customer. All seats in this cabin have direct access to the aisle and in the central ones, there is an automatic divider.

Looking at the seat, it looks like the Recaro CL6720 order has come through and the type deployed on the aircraft.

The seat, which has articulated leather headrests and more storage for personal items, converts to a fully flat bed, which is 5 cm longer than the current seat. The number of each seat is projected on the aisle floor, to make them easier to find in the dark.

Premium Economy

Premium Economy also gets some privacy upgrades, thanks to the addition of ‘wings’ to the headrest, which folds and adjusts on both sides for greater customer comfort.

The seat includes a remote control for in-flight entertainment with a touchable navigation panel.

Economy Class

For those of us in the back of the aircraft, this updated A350 is wider at armrest level, which Iberia has taken advantage of (maintaining the number of seats per row) to increase the width per seat by one centimetre

In addition, the headrests are articulated, folding, and adjustable on both sides, as in the Premium Economy cabin. Below the in-flight entertainment screen, the seats incorporate a stand to hold and charge personal electronic devices.

IFE upgrade too

It seems that Iberia has taken the opportunity to take delivery of a new IFE system too with the airline taking delivery of Panasonic NEXT.

Panasonic NEXT allows Iberia to deploy a more modern, interactive, and intuitive design for both the seat-end and software solutions. NEXT allows 4K seat-end units to be deployed. They also incorporate night lighting to avoid disturbing nearby customers.

The IFE screens will be larger than previous A350 aircraft in both Premium Economy (12 to 13 inches) and Economy Class (10 to 12 inches), meaning you won’t need to squint when looking at the screen. The NEXT IFE system also allows you to connect via Bluetooth with personal headphones in all the seats and cabins – so you can use the headphones you are comfortable with rather than the offerings given by the airline.

And of course, Airspace by Airbus

The cabin uses the Airspace by Airbus product, which integrates six different lighting environments with large overhead bins, as well as the extra space given by the A350 New Production Standard.

For those who feel icky going to the small room, there is some comfort as the bathrooms feature contactless taps and surfaces made with antibacterial materials.

And they didn’t go 10-across at least.

The next production standard for the Airbus A350 has important changes, with a weight reduction, the movement of the rear pressure bulkhead (allowing for larger galleys), and changes to the bulkhead which give a 4″ width increase that is accessible to the airline.

RunwayGirl Network has excellent coverage of this.

That 4″ allows for airlines to pack economy passengers in with the possible deployment of 3-4-3 seating with 17″ seat width. In this case, Iberia has spared passengers and has given it back to them in the form of a wider seat for the passenger to enjoy.

Other airline accountants which have ruined good aircraft in the back of the plane (see the Boeing 787), may take a different view, as that space could fit in more seats.

And what do more seats equal to an airline’s accountant? More income…

Images, Iberia, 3D view at https://iberia.3dseatmapvr.com/examples/a350next.html