British Airways (BA) has selected Collins Aerospace to upgrade the Club World cabins on its fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. The agreement includes installation of the Club Suite business class seat, the Club Kitchen and a new cabin configuration.
The deal will also see Collins perform full-cabin integration work – including engineering design, test and approval – along with programme management and third-party supplier approvals. Some of the modified aircraft are already flying, with the upgrades expected to be complete by the end of 2022. The retrofitted BA Boeing 777s will be operating from London Heathrow.
“When we launched our Club Suite product, it was a huge hit with our customers who loved the privacy the new seat offers,” said Sajida Ismail, BA’s head of inflight product, referring to the suite’s privacy doors. “We are focused on the roll out of this product and other cabin enhancements.”
The Club Suite is a customised version of Collins Aerospace’s Super Diamond business class seat, providing long-haul passengers with privacy doors, a fully flat bed and an upgraded IFE system. Similar to the upgraded cabins on BA’s Airbus A350 fleet, the suites are laid out in a 1-2-1 pattern, giving direct aisle access to all passengers.
The Club Kitchen is a self-service galley area consisting of inserts, chillers and built-in storage for snacks, drinks and other refreshments.
“The upgraded Club World cabin raises British Airways’ already high standards and provides commonality across their fleet of aircraft,” said Trevor Skelly, general manager of integration engineering for Collins Aerospace. “Our Integration Engineering team has worked closely with British Airways designers for several years to bring the latest in business class comfort, style and privacy from concept to reality.”
Through its Integration and Engineering group, Collins Aerospace has an Organization Designation Authority from the FAA to oversee the certification and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the upgrade. Manufacturing of the new suite seats is being completed at the company’s facility in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland, while the new Club Kitchen was designed at the company’s facility in Everett, Washington.
