News

Transaero A380s to seat 652 passengers

25 Apr 2014 by GrahamSmith

Transaero has revealed that its forthcoming A380 aircraft will each seat a staggering 652 passengers.

The capacity dwarfs that aboard Air France's first superjumbo, which seated 538 passengers, before the airline reconfigured the aircraft with 516 seats.

Russian airline Transaero, which has four superjumbos scheduled to enter service, will configure the plane in three classes, with 12 seats in Imperial (first), 24 in business and 616 in economy.

Imperial class will be located at the front of the aircraft on the lower deck and will feature 12 closed suites in a 1-2-1 formation with fully-flat seats, "the largest in their class", and retracting blinds to ensure privacy.

Business will accommodate 24 "cocoon-style" seats which can be transformed into 180-degree flat beds. The business cabin will be located in the front of the aircraft on the upper deck in 1-2-1 configuration.

Economy will contain 616 seats and will be located on the lower and upper decks. The seat pitch will be 31-32 inches, while the seats will be configured in 3-4-3 rows on the lower deck and in 2-4-2 rows on the upper deck.

Transaero's A380s will be equipped with high-speed inflight internet access and Ka-Band mobile communication system.

Olga Pleshakova, Transaero Airlines CEO, said: "When developing the interior design of our A380s we strived to make full use of the advantages of this type of aircraft.

"The unique passenger capacity provides for very comfortable conditions for passengers. When creating the new configuration we referred to Transaero's extensive positive experience of operating aircraft with 522 seat capacity.

"I am certain the first A380 aircraft in the Russian market will be very popular among our clients, both on domestic and on international routes. The launch of their operation will become a new step in the development of Russian commercial aviation."

Transaero is Russia's second largest carrier, after Aeroflot.

In 2012, Transaero signed a codeshare deal with Virgin Atlantic on flights between Heathrow and Moscow (see news, August 2012).

transaero.com

Graham Smith

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