As part of the continuous development process of the A330neo cabin, Airbus is preparing to introduce new Airspace cabin features, revealed in a A330neo full-size mockup at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX). These features include a new Hero Light and Welcome Panel, new linings for the interior sidewall, ceiling and door frame panels, as well as electro-dimmable windows (EDWs). These new features will become available for customers from 2027/2028.
Some of these features would have benefits for the overall inflight passenger experience, and would also drive consistency and synergies with the larger A350 aircraft. Airbus claims that the combination of these elements can contribute to weight savings totalling approximately 100kg throughout the A330neo – equivalent to around 10 carry-on bags.
A new Airspace welcome area
The enhanced ceiling lighting feature at Doors-2, named the Airspace Welcome Panel (picture above), features the Airspace stencil pattern, and will be standard in all new A330neos delivered from Q1 2026. Furthermore, Airbus will offer the option for airlines to customise the lighting fixture.
Meanwhile, a new Airspace Hero Light will be introduced as a premium option for the A330neo in 2027. Airbus says this will be a key opportunity for customer airlines to differentiate the Doors-1 to Doors-2 area from that of competitors flying the A330neo, being customisable with 16 million colours and a unique pattern. The Hero Light is typically installed in the business-class section, where there are often no middle overhead bins attached to the ceiling as the Airspace lateral bins provide sufficient storage capacity for the passenger count.
Overall, these customisable visual design elements are consistent with the Airspace cross-programme design language, as most recently introduced for the A320 Family.
New lining elements for sidewall, ceiling panel and door frame
The new A330neo sidewalls will have a design language consistent with the Airspace cabins for the A350 and A320 Families. Passengers will also benefit from additional comfort since Airbus says the new sidewalls offer 5mm extra shoulder clearance at every window seat, as well as 50mm more foot-space – thanks to the re-profiled dado panel at the floor level. Overall, the new sidewalls and dado panels would save approximately 85kg throughout the aircraft, according to Airbus’s engineering estimates.
Meanwhile, the new matching ceiling panels for the A330neo are also lighter than the previous design – contributing to a claimed additional 10kg weight saving throughout the cabin.
Both the updated ceiling and sidewall offer a more seamless and smoother overall appearance compared with the previous design, and could also become available for retrofit on in-service A330 Family aircraft.
The new door-frame lining is being introduced in parallel. Airbus says that its design simplifies installation and replacement by reducing the number of parts, whilst contributing to an additional 5kg of weight savings. The new lining also enhances the aesthetic appearance around the door due to its refined geometry.
Electro-dimmable window option for the A330neo
The other option in the A330neo, which is currently offered in the A350, would be Gentex’s electro-dimmable windows (EDWs). This option would be for the Doors-1 to Doors-2 area. These latest-generation EDWs are seamlessly adjustable, darken quickly, and can effectively block more than 99.999% of visible light as well as the infra-red energy from the sun. Airbus says that installation of the A330neos’ new sidewall panel will allow easy clip-in replacement or interchangeability between the electro-mechanical shade and the EDW parts.
