The first Finnair Embraer E190 has had its cabin refitted, with updated seating and internals. Let us see what the airline has been up to.
Finnair E190 refurbishment – Image, Finnair.
This fleet is used on shorter routes the airline offers- covering Northern and Central Europe, as well as routes which cannot meet the demand for an Airbus A319 or a larger aircraft.
The colour scheme and atmosphere of the new cabins have been designed to match that of Finnair’s recently refurbished wide-body fleet and Finnair’s new Schengen lounge at Helsinki Airport. It features hints of dark blues and greys, with some wooden laminate to match the long-haul air raft.
The lighting has been switched from the previous system to an LED-based lighting system
Seating Configuration
Towards the back of the cabin – Image – Finnair.
In terms of seating, the seat count remains the same at 100 seats, in a 2 by 2 configuration. Rows 1-9 will have a recline mechanism, with additional comfort due to the cushioning installed. Row 10 onwards will be fixed reclined seats.
In addition, the new seats are much lighter than before, as one of the targets of the Embraer cabin renewal has been to reduce the weight of the aircraft.
Reduced weight means lower fuel consumption and, thus, lower carbon dioxide emissions, with the airline shaving off 150kg compared to the current in-service aircraft.
In Quotes
Eerika Enne, Head of Inflight Customer Experience of Finnair said:
“We wanted to create a harmonious, fresh and inviting travel environment for our customers, with dark blue and grey colours and a hint of wooden laminate – elements familiar from our long-haul aircraft,”
“The renewed cabin will feature two new seats. The seats on rows 1– 9 offer a bit of additional comfort thanks to its design and cushioning. The seats in the first rows recline slightly, while from row 10, the seat does not recline. The service concept will remain unchanged in connection with the cabin renewal,”
“Both the Business Class seat and the Economy Class seat are lighter than the previous Embraer cabin seats, and also the cabin carpet is made of a lighter material than before. With these changes, we aim to reduce the weight of the aircraft by approximately 150 kg per aircraft,
Timelines
To future refits – Image, Finnair.
For those of you waiting for the refurbished Embraer fleet, Finnair plans to have seven aircraft will be renewed during the winter season 2024–2025, and the remaining aircraft will be renewed during the winter season 2025–2026.
With the clean colour palette that Finnair has chosen, it fits well into its fleets. Of course, the proof will be in the sitting when it comes to the seats – as I’m still working out who the seat OEM is.
If you are booking a Finnair flight where an E190 is flying – you will need to keep an eye on the first rows after business class however for the best experience.
Images, Finnair.
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