Cathay Pacific unveils upcoming regional business class
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific is giving its Airbus A330s a fresh makeover.
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| Cathay Pacific A330 Image source: Aeroprints /Wikimedia |
Selected A330s will be sporting a new regional business class seat which they tout as Aria Studio. Each seat reclines to a fully lie-flat bed and passengers are guaranteed direct aisle access. Passengers seated in the middle block can use a partition for extra privacy. Likewise, passengers can entertain themselves using a 4K in-flight entertainment (IFE) screen, can pair their bluetooth headset to hear IFE content, and wirelessly charge their mobile phones.
The Aria Studio takes inspiration off Cathay's Aria Suite, its new flagship business class product currently flying on selected Boeing 777-300ERs and its upcoming Boeing 777-9s. One of the biggest differences between Aria Suite from the Aria Studio is a lack of closing doors.
In addition, economy class will also see a refresh with newly-designed seats and an upgraded IFE experience. Like those in Aria Studio, economy class passenger have 4K screens and the ability to hear IFE content on their personal bluetooth headsets.
Refreshed A330s are expected to enter service at the end of 2026. While Cathay has expressed that it is doing this to have a single, consistent configuration across its A330s, the older A330s will not receive the makeover as they are slated for retirement over the next few years. In addition, Cathay's regional 777-300s will also skip the makeover as they are also slated for retirement over the next six years.
However, the new regional Aria Studio and economy class will also be featured on Cathay Pacific's upcoming A330-900neo (A339), whose delivery is expected to commence in 2028. The A339 is also going to replace the older wave of A330s delivered in the late-1990s and early-2000s.
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