The annual Arabian Travel Market event in Dubai is a good occasion for airlines to reveal their new and shiny products - and Saudia has done just that! The airline has unveiled its latest business class seat for its upcoming fleet of Airbus A321XLR planes. Saudia began looking at various seating options for the A321XLRs in 2021 and had several contenders to choose from.

Business class seat revealed

Saudia unveiled its latest business class seat for its Airbus A321XLR fleet, choosing the VantageSOLO suite, the kind that JetBlue also selected for its Mint cabin. The VantageSOLO suite is expected to provide Saudia passengers significantly more privacy than previous business class seats. They will feature a privacy shield around the back and an additional door at the aisle.

These fully flat seats recline completely into bed mode and also feature an 18” screen for in-flight entertainment options as well as increased storage space. Saudia CEO, Captain Ibrahim Koshy, commented,

“At SAUDIA we are deeply committed to finding new and innovative ways to further enhance our renowned guest experience. We firmly believe that the VantageSOLO suite represents the epitome of comfort, privacy and luxury. Our new business class offering is the embodiment of SAUDIA’s dedication to constantly evolving its products and services to deliver a superior customer journey underpinned by the very latest technological developments.”

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

Planning for long

Reports of Saudia exploring seating options for its A321XLRs began circulating in 2021. The airline also held a two-day event in Jeddah to gather feedback on its options for economy and business class seats. Saudia executives spoke with delegates, listening to feedback and opinions on the seats for the long-range narrowbody plane.

Saudia invited various seat manufacturers, including Collins Aerospace, Geven, Thompson Aero Seating, Safran Seats, Stelia, Haeco, and Recaro. We now know that it went ahead with the Thompson VantageSOLO product.

The airline is serious about providing a premium experience to passengers on its planes and announced more than a year ago its decision to offer the GX Aviation high-speed inflight broadband solution by Inmarsat on its A321neo and XLR fleet.

15 A321XLRs on order

Saudia has 15 Airbus A321XLRs on order, with the first one expected to arrive in 2024, although the latest reports suggest that there could be a delay of a few months by Airbus for its XLR program. If all goes according to the initial plan, the airline could receive all XLRs by 2026.

Saudia has revealed that it will deploy the A321XLRs to several destinations across Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, including Milan, Barcelona, Brussels, Rome, the Maldives, and Dakar.

What are your views on this? Please leave a comment below.

• 

  Saudia

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  SV/SVA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Dammam Airport, Jeddah Airport, Riyadh Airport

  Year Founded:

  1945

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Ibrahim Alkoshy

  Country:

  Saudi Arabia