TAP A330 neo debut with upholstery and national design – Daily News – Lisbon

TAP passengers will be the first to travel on the new Airbus in 2017. Company chose Portuguese companies to design image

An Airbus model to debut with Portuguese national design and leather in the cabin. At the end of 2017, TAP passengers can now fly on board A330neo equipped with the new version of Airspace cabin and TAP made a point of having Portuguese companies to project their image. The company’s investment in this order, also announced in 2015 – are 53 aircraft for long routes and high school, including 14 Airbus A330-900neo – was not disclosed. With these aircraft, the company now has the new concept of car in which you can design your brand.

“We are extremely proud to be the TAP the first airline to operate the Airbus Airspace cabin in A330neo” he said in Hamburg Trey Urbahn, chief commercial officer of TAP. “Our passengers and our crew will be able to benefit from a new travel experience provided by this innovative cabin design,” he added. And it was to make his mark that TAP has chosen Alma Design, who designed the interior of the cabin, and the Blue Leather, whom the leather upholstery were hired.

Being Portuguese, “have a special fondness for TAP and was a project that would love to do, “says Rui Marcelino, CEO of Alma Design. The company has worked in aviation, but so far only with contractors. “Our relationship comes from long ago and two years ago TAP told us this project and included us. This is our first experience with an airliner,” said the president of the company that won the Crystal Cabin Award in 2012, four years after his first experience in aircraft, which took place in 2008 with Embraer in Brazil.

for the Blue Leather, of whose factories have the skins of the A330neo chairs, was the first opportunity in a company air. The president of the company, which produces 30 thousand square meters of skin per month and had experience in other areas of transport and some private jets, says “the opportunity that came through the TAP was of great importance.” Not in numbers, Nuno Carvalho did not disclose, but because the partnership “opens doors to a new area of ​​business and new orders.”

As for the contribution of the Soul design for the new aircraft, TAP the company “specifies what the company wants to cabin image.” Since a new reception space with the latest LED lighting system, larger baggage compartments, modern bathrooms, entertainment systems IFE board and the latest generation connectivity, to “taken on chairs to charge your phone more comfort in economic or a different space to store executive in shoes. ” It was the chairs that the Soul more bet, “It is the key element and we wanted to redesign them to be the most possible comfortable,” says Rui Marcelino, in Hamburg, explaining that it was necessary to work directly with suppliers to accept these changes .

Rui Marcelino does not reveal the order of impact on turnover – “it’s business as usual, but it’s a good business, with great effort and commitment.” But highlights an additional effect of the choice of Alma: “We often advise companies for certain services Being in this world circuit can recommend more Portuguese companies and that is priceless…”