• Airbus unveiled a new A350 cabin configuration that would allow for 10 seats per row instead of the typical nine.

• The new layout would increase passenger capacity by an average of 30 seats on the A350 variants.

• The increase puts the A350 more on par with the Boeing 777X, which can carry up to 426 people in two classes.

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On Wednesday, the European planemaker announced a 10-abreast seating layout for its A350 variants, including the -900 and -1000, made possible by adding four inches of space to the cabin width by carving out the sidewalls.

Source: Airbus

The move is part of the manufacturer's New Production Standard launched at the end of September, which also improves performance and reduces weight.

Source: Airbus

With the added space, 10 seats can fit across instead of the standard nine, increasing capacity by a total of 27 seats on the -900 and 34 seats on the -1000 in a three-class layout, Airbus told Insider.

Source: Airbus

This brings the total A350-1000 passenger capacity to 410 in a typical three-class layout. The Boeing 777X, by comparison, can accommodate up to 406 people, per Reuters.

Source: Reuters

The 777X’s capacity is a big selling point for Boeing, but Airbus’ new configuration now better matches the American manufacturer’s flagship jet.

Boeing just showed off its 777X flagship, the world's new largest twin-engine passenger jet — take a closer look at the $442.2 million plane

The 777-8 and 777-9 will still offer up to 384 and 426 passengers in two classes, respectively, and the 777X fuselage is overall wider than the A350.

See inside Boeing's first-ever 777X aircraft testing tech like the jet's revolutionary folding wingtips, Simple Flying, Airbus, FlightGlobal

Boeing maintained its 777X is still more comfortable: "Today's 777 offers a wider cabin than the competition, and the new 777X cabin is even more spacious, providing the widest and most comfortable cabin in its class," a spokesperson told Insider.

Airbus' A350 can actually already accommodate 10-abreast rows in a high-density configuration, which is used by only a few airlines, like no-frills carrier French bee, but it's a tight squeeze.

Source: French Bee

According to French bee, its A350-900 economy section offers 16 inches of width. Meanwhile, its sister company Air Caraibes offers 16.8 inches, per SeatGuru.

Source: SeatGuru, French Bee

While customers are booking the narrow seats, they are still below the industry standard width of 17 inches, and analysts and airlines have criticized the planemaker's narrow option.

Source: Reuters

This is especially after, in 2013, Airbus actually said 18 inches should be the standard after Boeing introduced 17-inch-wide seats on its 787.

Source: AIN Online, Airbus, Reuters

For context, the A350's typical 3-3-3 layout has historically offered 18-inch-wide economy seats and competes with the 787.

Source: Airbus

However, backtracking on their 2013 comments, Airbus' new layout will allow all ten seats to have the full 17-inch width, saying it "transforms the passenger comfort of [the] previous 3-4-3 arrangement."

Source: Airbus

This is still less than what the current Boeing 777 can offer though, which already regularly accommodates 10-abreast seats and is another major competitor to the A350

Air New Zealand, for example, equips its 777-200ERs with 17.8-inch-wide economy seats, while it's 777-300s offer 17.1 inches, per SeatGuru.

Source: SeatGuru

Airbus' new cabin has several additional benefits besides offering 10-abreast seats, including widening the typical 3-3-3 economy seat width from 18 inches to 18.7 inches…

Source: Airbus, I went inside an Airbus A350 owned by Italy's newest national airline flying from Europe to the US and I now can't wait to fly on it

…and increasing premium economy seat width to 19 inches, as well as adding more aisle and center console space.

Source: Airbus, We flew on the longest flight in the world in both business class and premium economy to see how they compare — here's what we discovered

The company told the Runway Girl Network in September that the planemaker is working to also utilize the extra four inches to improve business class comfort.

Source: Runway Girl Network, SAS Scandinavian Airlines is deploying its brand-new jet to the US to take flyers to a reopening Europe and beyond — see inside

Moreover, repositioning the cockpit wall and bulkhead has allowed Airbus to add more space to its forward galley, and create an extra large galley in the back of the plane.

Source: Airbus

While these changes seem like a big move from Airbus, Richard Aboulafia, the managing director of consulting company AeroDynamic Advisory, told Insider it's too little, too late.

"Density is always welcome, especially at a time of high fuel prices," he said. "But, this was probably better done about six or seven years ago."

He said this move is not a game-changer, and the reason is twofold: First, the widebody market is shrinking, especially with the rise in popularity of long-haul narrowbodies, like the Airbus A321neo…

I flew JetBlue's new London to New York route in Mint business class. It's a premium leisure traveler's dream but some kinks need to be ironed out.

…and the Boeing 737 MAX families. These aircraft are starting to see more long-haul travel, particularly across the Atlantic.

More airlines are choosing single-aisle jets for flights from North America to Europe — see the full evolution of jet-powered transatlantic flying

In the first nine months of 2022, Airbus delivered 374 narrowbodies, including A220 and A320 family jets, accounting for about 86% of the 437 total deliveries.

Source: Airbus, Delta became the largest customer of the Airbus A220 jet in the US, surpassing JetBlue — see inside the carrier's swanky single-aisle plane

By comparison, only 63 widebody planes, including A330s and A350s, were delivered as of September 30, 2022. But, the market isn't the only issue.

Source: Airbus

"The second closely related problem is the widebody market that remains really doesn't care about the back of the cabin," Aboulafia said.

He explained to Insider that Airbus' new economy configuration could benefit profit margins, noting United Airlines may see it useful for its -900s on order, but said the money "is always made in the front."

Source: Airbus

According to Investopedia, only about 12% of airline customers are business travelers, but pre-pandemic, those passengers accounted for 75% of revenue on some flights.

Source: Investopedia

"I think engine power is probably a bigger factor," Aboulafia said. Compared to the 777-9's maximum 7,285-nautical-mile-range, the A350-1000 can fly up to 8,700 nautical miles, putting it ahead of Boeing.

Source: Airbus, Boeing

Boeing's 777-8 would beat out the A350-900 at maximum ranges of 8,730 and 8,300 nautical miles, respectively. Though, the A350-900ULR can fly further than any airliner at up to 9,700 nautical miles.

Source: Airbus, Boeing

While Airbus' new cabin may not be as advantageous for mainline airlines, low-cost carriers could be a big winner: "It is roughly 11% more efficient in economy-class pricing," cabin expert John Walton told Reuters.

Source: Runway Girl Network, Reuters

This means budget airlines could offer even lower fares, but Aboulafia says the "moment has passed" for low-cost carriers regularly buying dual-aisle planes.

Norwegian Air started a low-cost transatlantic revolution but coronavirus and the airline's Boeing planes pushed it to the brink of collapse

Over the years, budget airlines that typically pack the economy cabin to its limits have lessened their reliability on widebody jets in favor of more cost-efficient single-aisle ones, like Iceland's PLAY.

Icelandic low-cost carrier PLAY just operated its first nonstop flight to the US — see the bare-bones Airbus A321neo flying the route

Nevertheless, Walton told Reuters that he believes airlines that opt for the A350 could welcome the 10-abreast layout, which would match the typical 777 configuration.

Source: Reuters

"Anyone who already has the A350 will probably go nine abreast – for now – to maintain commonality," he said. "The question is what happens later when planes start leaving the fleet."

Source: Reuters

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