The first flight equipped with the Aria Suite — the airline’s new business class product — onboard Cathay Pacific’s retrofitted 777-300ER has recently taken to the skies.

These days, airlines are vying to impress with several new features in business class, such as high-tech upgrades and privacy doors. For the latter, It’s easy to see why: these suite-like partitions have made the experience of flying in a plane with 200-over strangers more private than even one’s own home. So, as the lifespan of most airlines’ interiors reaches its decade-long end, the race is now on for them to include these elusive premium features as part of their retrofit plans.

But when Cathay Pacific revealed its first-ever business class seat with sliding doors slated to replace the existing generation on its 777-300ER aircraft, the airline didn’t just focus on updating its seats with a fancy new door. Instead, it exerted inventiveness in crafting a seat that toyed with all possibilities of the business class form.

Enter the Aria Suite, where function meets tasteful harmony. The result of the six-year-long project is a state-of-the-art product that oozes with satisfaction — each feature feels deliberate and meticulously thought out, like a final puzzle piece falling into place.

Its name gives this away, with the denotation for aria arriving at the Italian word for a melody. Edward Bell, Cathay Pacific’s General Manager for Brands, Insights & Marketing Communications, revealed at its unveiling in Hong Kong on 18 October 2024 that the airline chose the name for the Aria Suite’s likeness to a symphony, where multiple elements make up a perfect performance.

Its relevance could not have been more pertinent too. The airline heralds this unique approach to human-centric design, an instinct to place the passenger experience at the forefront. “This is a world-class product,” says Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific’s General Manager for Customer Experience and Design. “A lot of airlines can have doors, they can have a big screen. But to me it’s the whole execution, whether you understand the customers’ needs and how you ensure they are being taken care of. The execution is what truly makes the difference,” she adds.

And it’s a bold move, and one that travellers will certainly appreciate, especially with that swanky new privacy door, of course.

The Aria Suite’s most noticeable new feature might be its privacy door. But it’s the overall design that truly feels satisfyingly luxurious, especially with the inclusion of a new lighting set-up. 

The space within the Aria Suite comes to life through a new lighting set-up that’s homogenised. It’s encompassed by a side lamp centrepiece, as well as a trim that surrounds the pods. For the first time, passengers can now determine the ambience of their flight and control the mood of the space via their in-seat monitors, or select one of the airline’s activity-based presets if they’re unfussy. Together with a refreshed colour palette of cream and wood accents to accompany the new design, the result is purposeful. All these elements come together to ensure a tranquil and modern space that can be further adjusted by the passengers themselves.

Passengers can also benefit from the seat’s wideness, and that’s because the suite doors are not frivolously sized — there is still generous amounts of space between the door and the aircraft’s ceiling to ensure no unwanted sense of constriction. Lo explains that it’s all indeed intentional. “So there’s a lot of small things that seem subtle,” she shares, “but it’s important that you experience that as unique to Cathay.”

There are more stowage compartments within the Aria Suite, such as a new sliding drawer, a larger side console, and side stowage compartments big enough to fit a personal bag. Tray tables that now fold out from the front feature a woodgrain design and a new personal electronic device holder.

Technology is also a major improvement from its predecessor. Each seat is now equipped with a 24-inch 4K touchscreen, the largest of the airline yet. It also features Bluetooth connectivity, allowing fliers to connect their headphones to enjoy Cathay Pacific’s award-winning entertainment system. Side consoles are fitted with a wireless charging station and USB-C connectivity points, both of which are progressive upgrades for today’s devices. The new seat back interface even features live lavatory availability status, which allows passengers to see which of the three lavatories are unoccupied without ever leaving their seats.

Located in the forward galley onboard the first retrofitted 777-300ER from Cathay Pacific is Paramita 0002 by Victor Wong, an AI-generated artwork as part of the airline’s initiative to bring an art gallery to the skies in a world first.

What else is new onboard Cathay Pacific’s 777-300ER? It turns out — literally everything. To achieve the airline’s vision for “human-centric design,” all aspects of the aircraft had to be given a new lease of life. The result is spaces that feel harmonious, even in areas that don’t typically see a lot of foot traffic.

Those boarding the plane through its forward doors will see the most difference. The galley at the front of the business class cabin is now furnished by a Japandi-styled divider centrepiece, accentuating the interior towards a hotel’s lobby rather than an aeroplane’s. That feeling is further emphasised by the world’s first art gallery 30,000 ft in the air, found in the same galley hosting 30 works from 15 Hong Kong-based artists, each different in every retrofitted 777-300ER.

Every aspect of Cathay Pacific’s retrofitted 777-300ER is brand new, including new seats for premium economy and refreshed seats for economy. 

And it’s not just business class passengers who have received upgrades. Passengers travelling in premium economy can, too, look forward to getting cosy on brand-new seats. With a retrofitted premium economy cabin bumping the seat count to a whopping 48 seats up from 34, there will be more upgrade options for future flights on Cathay Pacific.

The new seats come with memory foam cushions, an adjustable reading light, and customised wings near the headrest for privacy in a revamp of the airline’s business-lite option. Economy class features refreshed covers for seats and headrests, and features new monitors alongside new tray tables. Even brand new lavatories located in all cabins are infrared-activated and feature touch-less flush.

It’s easy to see how the new interiors will pave the way for a new era in air travel and cement Cathay Pacific’s position as a leading airline. It’s definitely a moment not to miss too. The Aria Suite and retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER fleet have already taken to the skies with its inaugural flight to Beijing, and more cities are in the pipeline. The airline plans to retrofit 30 777-300ER aircrafts and utilise them first on regional routes such as Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo.

It will later be deployed on long-haul routes, including London Heathrow — a key destination for the airline — starting early next year. By then, it’ll only be a matter of time before Cathay Pacific’s fleet is up to date. And just as Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau mentioned during the unveiling, “The aspiration (for Cathay Pacific) is to become the world’s best premium airline,” there’s a lot to look forward to with Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific’s position as a key player in global aviation.

For more information on the Aria Suite onboard Cathay Pacific, visit this link. 

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our November 2024 issue.