The Taiwanese startup airline STARLUX Airlines unveiled the cabin
design for the upcoming A321neo, created by Designworks, a BMW Group
Company. Debuted at a preview event in Taipei, STARLUX introduced
styling and features for the new A321 fleet that begins flying in
early 2020.
Designworks has worked across all interior touchpoints as well as the
seating in STARLUX’s A321neos economy and business class. With the
design focusing entirely on the passenger experience, Designworks
created a homelike atmosphere for the sophisticated traveller.
The new interiors feature warm colours, rich appealing texture and
innovative materials to provide superior comfort and convenience. As a
result of a smart balance between cutting edge engineering and human
centered design, the STARLUX’s A321neo will bear the signature of
Designworks’s tactile design. All features like seating, fabrics and
surfaces are custom-made designs. Unlike many other agencies in the
field, Designworks’ benefits from its global network of innovative
manufacturers that are closely linked to the automotive industry.
The project was directed by Designworks’ Shanghai studio in close
collaboration with its two other studios in Los Angeles and Munich.
STARLUX appointed the BMW Group Company because of its broad and
unique systematic approach to design and innovation.
“It is an extremely rare opportunity to be able to collaborate with a
new airline to bring a modern luxury approach into aviation” says Nils
Uellendahl, Design Director at Designworks’ Shanghai studio. “We
design with a human-centric, systems approach; our overarching goal
was to create memorable comfort experiences and a feeling of ‘being at
home’ – we believe then, passengers will feel at ease and truly relaxed.”
Aiming to provide privacy and comfort, economy class seating features
bright and natural colors, and ultra-thin seatbacks engineered to
increase legroom. Every seat is equipped with a high-quality leather
headrest, which is rarely seen on narrow-body aircraft. Passengers
will be able to enjoy restful sleep without bringing their own neck
pillows. A personal entertainment system with a generous screen, USB
and earphone plus free Wi-Fi make will make a STARLUX journey as
convenient and pleasant as possible.
For a maximum of personal space on the business class, Designworks
created an even more settled and tranquil environment, achieved by
employing dark and elegant colors to evoke the majesty of the galaxy.
While the cushions and privacy dividers are classic dark grey and rose
gold, cashmere silver adds a futuristic, hi-tech touch to the back
shells. The seat is the first narrow-body airliner seat in Taiwan that
can transform into an 82-inch fully flat bed – with a seat control
panel beside the headrest so that the passenger can easily return the
seat to an upright position.
“With our unique portfolio and deep understanding of the Asian
market, Designworks is an excellent partner for STARLUX, a startup
company that also has connectivity, technology and dynamism as its
core values. Future mobility for us means better human experiences.
With Designworks’ holistic design approach, we were able to come up
with a concept that once again challenges the perception of aviation”,
says Holger Hampf, President of Designworks.
Designworks has been at the forefront of future-oriented design for
more than four decades. In recent years, notable mobility focused
projects and experiences outside of automotive have included the
design of the Virgin One Hyperloop prototype, Mercury Marine projects,
as well as the recently announced Skai urban air mobility system.