Air France is the launch airline for Safran Cabin’s latest ECOS luggage compartments, having placed an order to equip its A320 and A321 single-aisle short and medium-haul aircraft with the systems. In total, Air France plans to gradually equip 40 A320s and 11 A321s on its domestic and European network with 1,342 of the new luggage compartments between September 2020 and September 2022 – a task simplified as installation of the ECOS system does not require any aircraft modifications.
The ECOS (Efficient Cabin Open Space) system is claimed to offer up to 60% more storage capacity than the luggage racks currently fitted to the airline’s A320 fleet, partly because it offers ‘on edge’ luggage stowage with the wheels at the back. For an A320, the cabin luggage capacity goes from 104 bags to 166, and from 113 to 192 for an A321.
The system consists of new bins, ceiling and cove panels that provide a lower shelf height to ease loading and improve visibility into the compartments, and easy to reach doors which do not encroach into the cabin aisle.
“Air France will be the first airline to offer these innovative luggage compartments. They will enable us to meet the high expectations of our customers wishing to travel with cabin bags only to save time during their trip”, said Catherine Villar, SVP of customer experience at Air France. “Boarding will be smoother and faster, both for them and for our crews. This represents a significant improvement in comfort and operational efficiency.”
