Air Serbia Seeks New Airbus A330 Cabin & ATR 72 Enterprise Seat

Air Serbia, the nationwide service of Serbia, is in search of to streamline its long-haul cabin product throughout its two Airbus A330-200 plane. The airline has additionally expressed curiosity in a brand new seat at the moment underneath growth by ATR, the X-House, which might permit it to introduce enterprise class on its turboprop fleet as properly.

Harmonizing Air Serbia’s A330-200 long-haul product

Jiri Marek, Air Serbia’s CEO, mentioned in an interview with EX-YU Aviation Information that the corporate initially deliberate to have its two A330-200 plane fitted with the identical cabin, which included enterprise class and financial system cabins with new seats.

Air Serbia acquired its first A330-200 plane in April 2021. Again then, the airliner acquired a brand new cabin forward of its entry into service. Secondary market seats have been procured from different plane grounded by the pandemic, Marek defined.

The corporate’s second A330-200 plane it acquired in November 2022, registered YU-ARC, is at the moment present process intensive upkeep at Turkish Technic in Istanbul. The airline plans to have the plane prepared for the summer time season and the launch of its Chicago service in Could.

Nevertheless, as a result of present provide chain disruptions brought on by COVID-19, that are at the moment affecting the aviation trade, cabin harmonization won’t occur earlier than the summer time season and should be postponed to a later stage.

Air Serbia is in shut contact with Airbus and different suppliers to work on a brand new idea, which might contain creating new seats for the wide-body fleet.

Upgrading the ATR cabins

Air Serbia expressed curiosity in changing into the launch buyer for ATR’s X-House seating idea.

Throughout the Plane Interiors Expo in Hamburg in June 2022, the Franco-Italian regional plane producer introduced the X-House desk, a “plug and play” resolution that permits airways to remodel pairs of seats into premium seating by eliminating the again and armrest of the aisle-side seat and putting in a facet desk as a substitute.

Photograph: Davide Calabresi/Shutterstock

Furthermore, X-House comes outfitted with a wide range of passenger facilities, resembling built-in charging ports for digital gadgets, a holder for cups and bottles, and ample tabletop house for storing private gadgets or snacks. By utilizing X-House, ATR operators can present a premium class configuration with a 1-1 format.

Marek added:

“That is an thought we strongly imagine we now have the enterprise phase for. We’re wanting into it, however a lot depends upon the progress of the venture. Quite a lot of these tasks are introduced now however will take time to develop.”

Air Serbia at the moment operates seven ATR 72 regional plane, particularly six ATR72-600s and one ATR72-200.