Bamboo and glass skyscrapers inspire Cathay Pacific’s new A350 cabin interior

Tangerine won the project to design the colour, material and finish, and the economy class seat for Cathay Pacific’s new A350 aircraft. Tangerine’s role was to extend the brand expression of Cathay Pacific by harmonising all of the finishes throughout the whole cabin interior.

Tangerine’s vision for the cabin interior environment was to capture the magic and “wow” of Hong Kong, playing with the contrast between the city and the countryside. The design successfully infuses traditional Hong Kong influences with the extraordinary contrast of the city’s fast-paced modern vibe.

Interior finishes are inspired by Asian minimalist tradition. As an example, the laminates on the bulkhead features an embossed irregular-striped pattern that is evocative of bamboo, contrasting with the natural textured finishes that are incorporated throughout the interior across all classes. Green is an essential colour palette for Cathay Pacific’s brand and three shades of green, blended with natural tones, were used.

Significant developments were introduced on Cathay Pacific’s new A350 economy class seat. Meaningful innovations on the customised seat include a proprietary designed six-way headrest that provides significantly increased lateral support, which is crucial for rest and sleep when seated in an upright position.

Another innovation is the BYOD solution is a ‘back pack’ integrated in the seat, which features a combined shelf and storage area for tablets and other devices, storage for personal items and a drinks holder all in one place.

All of these design changes to Cathay Pacific’s new A350 economy class seat, designed by tangerine, were driven around research into passenger’s habits and needs.

“Through careful observation of human behaviour we used insight to find the unknown unknowns,” says Martin Darbyshire, tangerine CEO, “It’s what tangerine does best.”

“We are pleased to launch our new A350-900 and its new cabin products. The new design expresses Cathay Pacific through all the brand touch points, as we strive to offer the best possible customer experience to all of our passengers,”says Leslie Lu, Cathay Pacific General Manager Product.