Source: Air France
On 28 May 2024, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg (Germany), Air France exclusively unveiled the new cabins to be installed shortly on all the Embraer 190s operated by its regional subsidiary HOP! The first of these refurbished aircraft will take to the skies in autumn 2024.
The company is thus pursuing its move upmarket to standardize its offer of products and services on its short and medium-haul network.
New, more comfortable and innovative seats
With these redesigned cabins, the Embraer 190 will be equipped with 110 new seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration. Each seat will be upholstered in leather and feature ergonomic foam padding, for enhanced comfort and sustainability. The seat, that can recline up to three inches, will have a wide 46 cm seat pan, a tray table, optimized storage space, comfortable removable armrests and a coat hook. The seat headrest is height-adjustable with adjustable wings.
Positioned at the customer’s eye level, a retractable holder with a ribbed, non-slip surface to securely accommodate a smartphone or tablet will be integrated into the backrest of each seat. The seat will have USB A and C ports, allowing customers to recharge their personal devices, including laptops. There will also be a double cup holder for added convenience.
On board, Business customers will be seated at the front the aircraft. For added comfort and privacy, a mobile curtain will separate this cabin class from the rest of the cabin and from January 2025, each of our Business customers will have an empty seat next to them.
A bright, elegant cabin
Like the Airbus A220, the cabin of the Embraer 190 will feature the Air France signature colours of shades of blue, a strong presence of white providing light and contrast, and touches of red, embodying the airline’s excellence and know-how. Each seat will feature a symmetrical stitching pattern accentuated in the centre with grey embroidery thread, creating an upholstered effect for optimum comfort. The headrest will also be embroidered with the company’s trademark accent, also adorning the rear cabin walls of the aircraft, giving perspective to the whole. The carpet revisits the traditional ornamental herringbone pattern, symbolizing the emblematic Haussmann-inspired world of Parisian apartments.
Lighter seats, designed and manufactured in France
To design these seats, Air France has teamed up with French manufacturer Expliseat, working with Andrea Mocellin, a designer well-versed in the high-end market segment.
Made of carbon fibre and titanium, the seat structure is ultra-light and extremely sturdy. It incorporates recycled components and as little plastic as possible.
Each new seat is 30% lighter than the current model, helping to reduce the overall weight of the aircraft in order to reduce its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. This initiative is part of the airline’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions, alongside fundamental levers such as fleet renewal, increased use of sustainable aviation fuel and development of eco-piloting.
Custom-designed in line with the company’s specifications, these seats will be made in Angers, France. The refurbishment of the Embraer 190s will then begin at the HOP! maintenance site in Clermont-Ferrand after the summer.