With an order from TAM Airlines, Airbus has officially launched the Space-Flex PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) lavatory as an option for operators of the A320 Family. TAM will become the first Airbus customer to benefit from Space-Flex, a new option now available for the A320 Family which creates more passenger comfort.
The TAM order is for Airbus to line-fit equip 39 new aircraft to be delivered from the 4th quarter of 2013. By making more efficient use of the volume at the rear of the cabin, two lavatories plus a galley can now be efficiently accommodated in this space, generating the following advantages for TAM:
Freeing-up space for more passenger comfort, as with this new arrangement the revenue space of the cabin is maximized;
Offering two lavatories each of comparable size to existing A320s i.e. larger than competitor lavatories;
Providing a full PRM lavatory for the first time in a single-aisle aircraft. The ‘PRM-friendly’ lavatory is facilitated via a simple conversion process: two single Space-Flex lavatories are convertible into one PRM enclosure in a similar manner to those delivered on Airbus wide-body aircraft.
“Space-Flex maximizes the cabin revenue space and therefore gives us more flexibility in our new Airbus A320 Family aircraft,” said José Maluf, Supplies and Contracts Vice-President at TAM Airlines. “In the future we could easily adapt to market demand and improve seat-mile costs by adding six seats without any compromise in comfort.”