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Stelia Aerospace Unveils Rendez-Vous Business Class Seat

The seat features sliding doors and a sofa setting for added comfort

by Enrique Perrella

October 10, 2022

Photo: Courtesy of Stelia Aerospace

Stelia Aerospace has unveiled an all-new business class seat that will soon be available to the wide-body and long-haul market, featuring one of the most spacious settings for premium passengers.

The European seat maker claims that its Rendez-Vous seat “meets the highest level of comfort and luxury” with one of “the widest seats on the market, a high level of customization, and an unrivaled privacy experience.”

Stelia Aerospace—wholly owned by Airbus—notes that the new seats will provide direct aisle access for all passengers and a large privacy door that turns the seat into a private suite.

Photo: Courtesy of Stelia Aerospace

Stelia—responsible for building one of the world’s first direct-aisle access business class cabins with its Solstys seat—continues pushing forward by increasing privacy with a sliding door and the possibility of sharing space with a traveling companion.

Every Rendez-Vous seat can turn into a ‘Solo’ full-flat bed, which can also be converted into a ‘Honeymoon’ double bed if two passengers choose the central section of the cabin.

Photo: Courtesy of Stelia Aerospace

Thierry Kanengieser, VP of cabin interiors at Stelia Aerospace, explains that the new seat also presents a unique sofa seating comfort. According to him, an exclusive backrest, fully integrated into a soft structure, allows passengers to position themselves in different manners throughout their journey.

The ‘sofa’ setting, which resembles Finnair’s new business class seat, integrates the backrest into the seat’s back shell, freeing the passenger from any constraints created by headrests and armrests.

Photo: Courtesy of Stelia Aerospace

Even though the new Rendez-Vous product hasn’t been ordered by any airline, Stelia will likely score significant upgrade orders soon. The company’s Solstys seat remains one of the most popular in the industry, making the new seat a natural replacement.

The increased width and the new sliding door are two of the most considerable improvements Stelia Aerospace has come up with over its current product lineup. In this post-pandemic era, the Rendez-Vous product offers added privacy and the possibility to share that privacy with a companion—two major winning points that the company hopes to capitalize on.