Saudia's 'gem' at Arabian Travel Market: business suite for future A321LR e-XLRs

Saudia is among the superstars of theArabian Travel Market, the Tourism Fair currently being held in Dubai. And among the four 'biggies' on the Arabian Peninsula, the Saudi company is the only one to have put on display at its giant pavilion a product that is not yet on its airplanes, but that there will be soon.

The tasty preview is from the 'studio' or suite who will be found in the first row of the business class cabin on Airbus A321LR and A321XLR.

It is a Thompson 'Vantage Solo'. And if the photos you see accompanying this article bring to mind something you have already seen (or perhaps even tried in person), you are not wrong.

The 'Vantage Solo' is in fact the seat that the American company JetBlue has chosen to equip its Business Class cabins of the A321LRs crossing the Atlantic Ocean..

E Saudia's 'study' previewed in Dubai Is, if you will, An evolution of the one already in service with Jetblue, in the sense that is bigger.

This is because, a Thompson representative present at Saudia's booth in Dubai explained to TFC, "Jetblue has a rather impressive galley (a galley kitchen) at the head of the plane, and this was reflected in the size of the 'studio' or suite, whatever. With Saudia this problem was not there, and the result is a slightly more spacious suite."

So much so that it can accommodate a true second seat inside and two pull-out tables so you can dine as a couple, an IFE screen that swivels 90 degrees, and an unprecedented bed width In a Business class.

The suite, which is equipped with a sliding door, will be installed on board the 20 A321LR and of the 15 A321XLR that Saudia Will start receiving by the end of this year to operate on those Destinations in Europe and the East on which it is uneconomic to fly dual-aisle aircraft, such as the Boeing 777-300ER, 787-10 and 787-9 that the carrier has in its fleet.

Currently these 'thin' routes, i.e. (or that they are at certain times of the year when there is a seasonal drop in demand) Are operated with a fleet of A320ceo and A321ceo. The latter, in Business, have 20 recliners, as do 30 of the 37 A320s.

Seven A320ceo instead have a 'long-haul' configuration with 20 lie-flat seats in a 2-2 layout in Business and just 90 seats in Economy (3-3) for a total of only 110 seats, on a plane that normally carries 150 or more.

It is evident that, For aircraft such as the A321LR and A321XLR, with ranges of up to 9 hours the former and over 10 hours the latter, something more in premium class was needed. And the answer is the 'Vantage Solo' in 1-1 configuration, with the 'treat' of the extra-large suite in row 1.

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