ANA Boeing 787s Getting New Cabins, Including Business Class

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has announced plans to overhaul the cabins of its international Boeing 787 fleet, with the project expected to start in 2026. The airline has 35 of these jets, with an additional 27 on order.

ANA reveals new 787 premium economy & economy

ANA will be partnering with RECARO to introduce new premium economy and economy seats throughout the long haul Boeing 787-9 fleet.

In premium economy, the airline is introducing the Recaro R4 seat model, where seats will be in a 2-3-2 layout, with 40″ of pitch. Seats will feature 9″ of recline (2″ more than currently), and tech will be upgraded, with a 15.6″ entertainment screen, AC, USB-A, and USB-C outlets, bluetooth audio, and more.

In economy, the airline is introducing the Recaro R3 seat model, where seats will be in a 3-3-3 layout, with 33-34″ of pitch. Seats will feature an additional 2″ of recline, and tech will be upgraded, with a 13.3″ entertainment screen, AC, USB-A, and USB-C outlets, bluetooth audio, and more.

As you can tell, ANA continues to have a very generous product across cabins, with among the best seat pitch that you’ll find on any airline. It’s nice to see the airline continuing to stick with that.

ANA also plans new 787 business class

While ANA has so far only revealed the details of the new premium economy and economy, that’s not all that will be changing. As reported by Sean Cudahy, ANA executives have confirmed that the airline also plans to introduce a new business class product on these jets, which will be installed the same time as the other cabins. That’s expected to be formally announced in the coming months.

ANA is of course known for its incredible “The Room” business class, available exclusively on select Boeing 777-300ERs.

However, as it stands, Boeing 787-9s have the Safran SkyLounge III seats, in a staggered configuration. These seats are perfectly comfortable, but hardly cutting edge, especially given that these aircraft operate some really long routes, including to the United States, Europe, etc.

While we should find out in the coming weeks what product ANA will install, it’s always fun to speculate a bit. While ANA states the product will be similar to “The Room,” it won’t be exactly that, since the 787 just doesn’t have the cabin width to make that possible. So, what could the airline install?

All of ANA’s long haul business class seats (on the 777, 787, and A380) are produced in partnership with Safran. So it seems fairly likely that ANA will continue to partner with Safran, since airlines generally like to continue working with the same firms, assuming they’re happy with their existing products.

So my first guess — and again, this is just speculation — is that ANA will introduce the Safran Unity platform on the 787. JAL was the launch customer for this on the A350, so I suppose in a way, it would be a bit odd if ANA copied its most direct competitor. But the product is produced by Safran, it can be installed on the 787, it’s one of the best new “generic” business class products out there, and it has a staggered layout (which ANA seems to like). I could be totally wrong, but that’s what I’d guess.

ANA hasn’t partnered with Collins Aerospace on seats in the past, but otherwise it seems like the Collins Aerospace Horizon Seat would be the most likely option, as you’ll find it on Korean Air’s new 787s. This is also a staggered product.

Bottom line

ANA plans to overhaul its Boeing 787-9 cabins as of 2026, as these planes are used for some of the carrier’s longest routes. The airline has announced the Recaro seats that we’ll find in premium economy and economy, while the new business class is expected to be revealed soon.

It’s great to see that ANA plans to invest in these jets. Now if only ANA could finish reconfiguring its few remaining 777-300ERs flying with old interiors…

What do you make of ANA’s plans to overhaul 787 cabins?