Swiss begins first A330 retrofit with new long-haul cabin in Hong Kong

Swiss is installing its new Senses long-haul cabin on an Airbus A330 for the first time. The work is being done at the Haeco maintenance facility in Hong Kong, on an aircraft registered HB-JHC that is more than 17 years old.

Hangar photos show the cabin stripped back. Seats are gone, along with large parts of the side and ceiling panels. Insulation mats, open cable bundles and pipes are exposed. Ladders, toolboxes and work lights sit on the floor.

Gunnar Ciernioch, project lead for tech ops at Swiss, described the interior as almost empty. Wall panels and even the floor were removed, he added. Electrical, air and water connections are now being installed.

Swiss Senses already flies on the airline's Airbus A350-900, where the cabin is fitted during production. The A330 follows a different path. Everything previously inside the aircraft is taken out, and the cabin is fitted from scratch. Some components, including the forward and rear galleys, are reworked, while the seats and most other elements are new.

The airline says the Senses product cannot be transferred to the A330 unchanged, because the aircraft's dimensions and layout differ. The first retrofit is described as more complex than delivering a factory-new A350.

The source does not give a completion date or say how many A330s will receive the cabin.