Iberia debuts new A350 Next on Madrid-Buenos Aires route

The arrival of the Three Wise Men came early this Tuesday on Iberia flight 6845 between Madrid and Buenos Aires with a pleasant surprise for the 352 passengers on board: the gift of a state-of-the-art wireless headset from Panasonic, as well as an amenity kit specially designed for all cabins on this flight, and a cocktail created as part of the onboard service.

The reason for this celebration is that the flight was the first scheduled flight of Iberia’s A350 Next, with registration EC-NXE and named Ciudad de Quito.

This aircraft is part of a new standard from the manufacturer Airbus of which Iberia has been the launch customer and, in addition, is the first to be equipped with the new Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.

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The Panasonic headphones, model RB-HX220B, feature a battery life of up to 23 hours of playback and boast deeper bass, while providing a quick and easy connection. As for their design, in addition to an ergonomic and foldable shape, they stand out for being ultra-lightweight.

Increased operational efficiency

In addition to enjoying a very special flight, customers who flew yesterday from Spain to Argentina were able to see the benefits of this aircraft, which has the new Airbus standard -specifically the 4, standard 2022- and incorporates improvements that increase its operational efficiency and customer comfort, as its cabins are wider.

This new-generation aircraft, equipped with the latest technology and designed to fly with maximum efficiency, is built with the most sustainable materials on the market.

In addition, the weight of the aircraft has been reduced by one ton through structural improvements and lighter equipment, which increases its efficiency and also contributes significantly to improving its performance at the most operationally demanding airports, known colloquially as hot & high.

This new aircraft also incorporates improvements in low-speed performance. Specifically, new flap positions allow the pilot to select the most optimal configuration for each takeoff; and landing gear retraction is faster, so that the aircraft can reach a configuration with less aerodynamic drag sooner.

Qualitative leap in customer service

With the addition of this new generation of A350 aircraft, Iberia is also launching a new product that enhances its customers’ travel experience with a wider cabin, providing greater comfort and improved performance in all classes – Economy, Premium Economy and Business.

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Among the most outstanding new features, the new aircraft increases comfort in all cabins with greater privacy, spaciousness and new lighting environments. In addition, it offers state-of-the-art connectivity and in-flight entertainment for customers to enjoy the flight experience to the fullest.

Business Class

With a separate door and an enclosed seat structure, more personal and exclusive space is offered to each customer. All seats in this class have direct access to the aisle, and the central seats – called honeymoon – have an automatic divider.

The newly designed armchair, with wood finishes and other details that add comfort and warmth, has articulated leather headrests and more space for personal items. It becomes a completely horizontal bed, which is now five centimeters longer, and the number of each seat is projected onto the aisle, making it easier to locate when the cabin is dark at rest times.

Premium Economy

Iberia pioneered the launch of the Premium Economy cabin on its routes to Latin America. This class also now offers more privacy, thanks to the seat’s wrap-around structure, which also incorporates articulated headrests that fold and adjust on both sides of the head for greater customer comfort. As a new feature, the seat includes a remote control for in-flight entertainment with touch-screen navigation panel and specific gamming functionalities.

Economy Class

The cabin of the new Airbus A350s is wider, which Iberia has taken advantage of to increase the width of each seat by one centimeter, maintaining the same number of seats per row as on its other A350s, thus investing in greater customer comfort on board. In addition, the headrests are articulated, folding and adjusting to either side of the head, as in the other cabins. And under the in-flight entertainment display, the seats incorporate a convenient support for resting and charging personal electronic devices.

IFE Next on larger screens

The other qualitative leap of these aircraft comes from the hand of a new generation in-flight entertainment system that Iberia has developed in collaboration with Panasonic and called IFE Next.

It incorporates a more modern, interactive and intuitive design. Its platform uses the most advanced technological system in the industry, and the screens offer 4K resolution that protects the view and incorporate night lighting to avoid disturbing other customers nearby.

In addition, the new A350s feature larger screens in both Premium Economy (from 12 to 13 inches) and Economy (from 10 to 12 inches).

The Business and Premium Economy seats have a secondary screen, located at the bottom, which is activated to transmit messages from the crew without interfering with the playback of the content. So it does not pause the playback that the customer is viewing, but both appear simultaneously.

One of the main new features of the new entertainment system is that it allows Bluetooth pairing of personal wireless headphones in all seats and cabins, which also translates into greater freedom of movement and greater comfort for customers. The usual in-flight headphones will continue to be offered (noise-cancelling headsets in Business and Premium Economy cabins) for those customers who do not have their own or prefer those provided by Iberia.

In addition, each seat has USB A and C connectors, as well as universal power sockets, so that customers can charge their devices.