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Ethiopian Airlines appears to be introducing two new business class seats to its 787 and A350 fleet. While no official statement has been made, a promotional video from the airline highlights the new product on its A350. The products are a significant upgrade from Ethiopian’s current 2-2-2 enterprise class product.
New business class in the 787
Ethiopian first launched an upgraded business class product on its latest 787-9 aircraft. The cabin is configured in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving all passengers direct access to the aisle and much more space.
The seats themselves have an inverted herringbone design, which means that the window seats are slanted towards the window, adding more privacy. The middle pairs of seats alternate between being closer and further apart. The cabin uses a color scheme similar to the current Ethiopian product with a mix of red seats and silver accents.
The last Boeing 787-9 that Ethiopian Airlines received is a 1-2-1 business class layout, also known as a reverse herringbone. This new compared to the 2-2-2 configuration all their wide bodies have #ethiopianairlines #boeing #deal #fleet #avgeek pic.twitter.com/o3WCMqChrM
– ETWatch (@ETWatch) October 24, 2020
The new product was discovered by enthusiasts on Twitter shortly after Ethiopian received its newest 787-9. The seats are quite common now and similar to those found on Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Air Canada, and many others. Overall, the product is a massive leap from Ethiopia’s old business class.
The A350
Ethiopian recently received two A350-900s this week, bringing its fleet size up from A350s to 15. While there was much celebration for the deliveries themselves, Ethiopian also quietly introduced a new business class product on the plane. While the cabin is also featured in a 1-2-1 configuration, the seats are slightly different from the new 787.
The window seats are separated from each other, alternating between being closer to the window or the aisle. They also feature a curved, cocoon-shaped design, which adds much more privacy. The middle seats are closer together or spaced in alternate rows, with high privacy dividers if you don’t know your seatmate.
We have received 2 new A-350 aircraft on the same day, we have also donated humanitarian medical teams that were brought aboard the delivery flight of these new aircraft to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health in a large event held today at ET Cargo & Logistics Services. pic.twitter.com/Z4WHRW88tj
– Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) November 8, 2020
There are also no overhead compartments over the middle seats, which makes the cabin feel much more spacious than the 787. This product is quite common in the industry and the seats are similar to those of Turkish Airlines and others. Overall, the seat is likely to be a good choice for long-haul flights on the A350.
Massive jump
The two new business-class products are a massive leap from Ethiopian’s current 2-2-2 business class in their wide bodies. Those seats offer much less privacy and space than any of the new products. Almost all other airlines have chosen to switch to a 1-2-1 configuration on their A350s.
It is currently unclear if Ethiopian will modernize its older A350 and 787, or even 777, with the new cabin design. The airline is currently flying 40% of its pre-pandemic capacity, which means it will likely postpone costly modifications. For now, only a few lucky passengers will be able to fly in the airline’s new business class.
What do you think of Ethiopian’s new business class seats? Let us know in the comments below!
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