Take A Closer Look

Cathay Pacific's new Aria Suite, the Hong Kong-based airline's first business class equipped with sliding doors, is a minimalist seat that boasts very subtle touch points.

- Manfred Lu

And it's deliberate - the airline has turned its focus on creating cabin experiences that cater to the needs of its passengers, not just for instant virality.

These days, airlines are vying to impress with several new features in business class, such as high-tech upgrades and privacy doors. For 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.