If you have flown on this new aircraft recently, you might have noticed—or if not, pay attention to seat 31E on board Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-3

‘Phantom’ seat onboard Croatia Airlines Airbus A220

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2024-11-20 10:00:05

If you have flown on this new aircraft recently, you might have noticed—or if not, pay attention to seat 31E on board Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300. This seat bears a “Do not occupy this seat” sign, lacks seat belts, and cannot be selected during booking or check-in.

But why is that? Why does the aircraft have 150 seats, yet only 149 passengers are allowed? The explanation lies in complex safety regulations.

When the Airbus A220-300, originally known as the Bombardier CS300, was introduced, it was certified for a maximum of 145 seats, in line with safety regulations based on the number of exits (four doors and two over-wing exits). In 2021, Airbus received approval from EASA to increase the seating capacity to 149. Air France was the first carrier to adopt this configuration. As part of this approval, EASA required the evacuation slides for the over-wing exits to be modified to include two descent lines instead of one.

However, this still doesn’t explain why the 150th seat exists but cannot be used. The reason, again, ties back to safety regulations concerning evacuation procedures. As confirmed by Airbus to AvioRadar, if the 150th seat were to be occupied, the aircraft would need two additional over-wing exits, bringing the total to four. Such a modification would raise questions about its financial feasibility for the airline.