Since British Airways introduced the first lie-flat business class seat in 2000, the cabin has become increasingly luxurious. This evolution widened the gap between business class and regular economy class, while simultaneously narrowing the gap with first class. Because of this, the role of first class cabins has been shifting, and airlines around the world are rethinking their first class products. Some airlines have opted to remove the cabin class altogether, while others are looking to enhance their current first class products. With this in mind, Airbus designed a new cabin concept for its flagship Airbus A350-1000, which was revealed at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2025 in April last year.

Airbus’ New First Class Product?

Airbus introduced the new product as a visionary design study to showcase what is possible with its A350-1000s and how the aircraft has the potential to become an airline’s new premium flagship. As of writing, there is no airline that has confirmed plans to install this new product. The new cabin class fits with Airbus’ wider « Airspace » vision for enhancing the passenger experience onboard its aircraft through improved cabin designs.

From a strategic perspective, the introduction of the new first class cabin has a strong marketing purpose. Firstly, it allows Airbus to collect customer feedback. Secondly, it allows Airbus to signal its confidence in the viability of a first class product in the future. And lastly, it helps to position its A350-1000 aircraft as a viable flagship premium aircraft for airlines, capable of featuring some of the most exclusive cabins in commercial aviation. Additionally, the new cabin acts as a flexible blueprint for airlines to adapt cabin layouts and designs to strengthen their own brand identity and differentiate from competitors.

What is Airbus’ Master Suite Concept?

Airbus’ First Class Master Suite is a concept cabin design specifically developed for its flagship A350-1000, showcasing how the aircraft’s wide fuselage can support a luxurious and spacious first-class experience similar to a private jet. The new first class cabin is designed in a 1-1-1 configuration, featuring a Double Suite between the two aisles to accommodate two passengers traveling together.

Compared to a traditional first class seat, the Master Suite is a private « living space » allowing passengers to lounge, dine, work, change, and sleep with maximum privacy. The most important features of the suite include a full-size double bed, private lavatory, dedicated changing area, a mini-bar, and a dining set-up which allows you to sit face-to-face. Since the suite is located in the center of the cabin, it has no windows, something Airbus compensates for with a large curved digital display and ambient lighting. These simulate the outside environment such as daylight, sunset, and night, and help prevent jet lag.

To enable this cabin configuration, Airbus proposed in its designs relocating the lavatories, storage areas, and crew rest access stairs into a separate central module outside the main passenger cabin. This creates more cabin space for premium revenue and improves the passenger experience by increasing privacy. As mentioned earlier, Airbus’ first concept is part of its wider « Airspace » cabin program, which emphasizes that the cabin is not only designed to maximize seat density but also to feel open, spacious, and quiet, and visually appealing to passengers.

Are Any A350-1000 Operators Likely To Install The New Product?

As mentioned earlier, first class cabins are evolving as business class cabins have become larger and more luxurious. Large cabins with sliding doors, world-class dining, and amenities have become the standard. As this evolution occurred, the exclusivity of business class has also somewhat disappeared, creating an opportunity for airlines to redefine first class and offer a new « ultra-premium » cabin, blurring the lines between commercial aviation and private jets. Something Airbus is also clearly focusing on with its new first class concept.

Today, only two airlines offer a first class product onboard their A350-1000 aircraft. These are the Japanese flag carrier Japan Airlines and Taiwanese newcomer STARLUX Airlines, which only took delivery of the aircraft on January 6, 2026. According to Airbus, the A350-1000’s typical 3-class configuration has between 375 and 400 seats. However, in practice, the configurations airlines actually decide to install vary widely. Japan Airlines, for example, has a premium-heavy configuration, with only 239 seats across four cabin classes. Whereas some low-cost airlines such as French Bee and Air Caraïbes have installed 480 seats on the aircraft.

By looking at the current configurations airlines have installed, we can identify several candidates that might consider installing Airbus’ new first class product. Firstly, these include the two aforementioned carriers, which already feature first class cabins onboard their aircraft. As these airlines place a lot of value on premium travel experiences, they are top contenders to potentially opt for Airbus’ new first class product. However, more A350-1000 operators are working on the return of first class as they expect the revival of first class presents an opportunity to capture high-yield demand on their flagship long-haul routes. One of these airlines looking to revive first class is Cathay Pacific, although it is unlikely this cabin will be installed on the Airbus A350-1000, but rather on its long-awaited Boeing 777X fleet. This, however, is slightly contradictory as the airline is currently retrofitting its Boeing 777-300ER with its new « Aria Suite » business class and removing all first class seats in the process.

“If you aspire to be one of the best – or ultimately, hopefully, the best premium airline in the world, then having a world-leading first class is part of that. I think it’s difficult to claim that you’re really up there without an outstanding first-class product.”

Another A350-1000 operator looking to bring back first class is Qatar Airways. While the airline’s former CEO highlighted he “didn’t see the necessity” for first class, its current CEO clearly has a different view. However, it also seems that Qatar Airways won’t be installing the new first class on the A350 anytime soon. The introduction of these renewed first class cabins highlights the same trend Airbus is also jumping on with its new first class concept. Airlines will constantly need to convince passengers that their first class cabin is worth the upgrade from business class. Simple upgrades or generic products will not be enough, and with this in mind, airlines are pushing the boundaries of what is possible within an aircraft’s fuselage. This is, of course, also what Airbus is doing with its new first class concept. However, perhaps more important for Airbus is to show airlines that the A350-1000 is capable of having this type of luxury and innovative cabin concept, as it appears airlines do not view the A350-1000 as their next long-haul flagship just yet, and instead opt to install their new first class product on the Boeing 777x or A380 instead.

A Look At The Airbus A350-1000

After Airbus discontinued the production of the A380-800, the A350-1000 became the manufacturer’s largest airplane currently in production. As mentioned before, the aircraft seats up to 400 passengers in a typical 3-seat configuration, although the final cabin configuration airlines opt for tends to differ from this. The exit limit of the aircraft is 480 seats, with some French low-cost long-haul operators actually having this dense all-economy configuration installed.

The aircraft has a massive technical range of 9,000 nm (16,700 km), which it covers at a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (approx. 647 mph / 1,041.3 km/h). In terms of weight and dimensions, the aircraft is one of the largest commercial aircraft currently on the market. The Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) of the aircraft is 710,000 lb (322,000 kg) with a zero fuel weight of 491,000 lb (223,000 kg). Furthermore, the A350-1000 has an overall length of 242 feet 1 inch (73.78 m), a fuselage width of 19 feet 6 inches (5.96 m), a wingspan of 212 feet 5 inches (64.75 m), and a height of 56 feet 1 inch (17.08 m). The cabin itself has a length of 190 feet 3 inches (58.03 m) and a width of 18 feet 5 inches (5.61 m).