brent.pinheiro@guardian.co.tt
In the coming months, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) will be refreshing the interior of its older aircraft to match its new exterior.
Just over 11 years ago, CAL introduced five new ATR 72-600s to replace its ageing Bombardier Q-300s. These five ATRs, bearing the registrations 9Y-TTA, 9Y-TTB, 9Y-TTC, 9Y-TTD, and 9Y-TTE, have since been joined by five more to form the backbone of Caribbean Airlines’ regional operations. And while the exteriors have been repainted in the carrier’s new livery, the original five have retained their original cabin interiors—until now.
The airline has begun to retrofit the original cabins, bringing them up to date with the rest of the fleet. The work is all being done in-house, a move that CAL says will save it a significant amount of money.
So, what can passengers
expect on board?
One of the most obvious changes is the seating. The padding has been replaced, and the seats reupholstered. The seatback tray tables are now dark grey, and the armrests and seatbelts have been replaced.
Above, the overhead lockers have been painted and the opening and closing mechanisms overhauled to allow the locker doors to soft close/open. That means no more slamming doors!
Eagle-eyed passengers will notice that the carpet is now the same deep plum carpets found on the airline’s 737-8 fleet. Even the side panels and some windows have been changed, eliminating that “foggy” finish that has plagued many a traveller’s photo while in transit.
Not all the changes are cosmetic though. The avionics systems have also been upgraded which now allows the aircraft to access new territories.
Commenting on the cabin refresh, Caribbean Airlines’ Corporate Communications head Dionne Ligoure said, “At Caribbean Airlines we are focused on enhancing all aspects of the customer journey and experience. From the upgrade of our lounge, our baggage system and in this specific case the aircraft interiors, we are focused on creating a consistent, all-round experience when we welcome you home to Caribbean Airlines.”
Behind the Scenes
At the Caribbean Airlines hangar at Piarco International Airport, CAL’s Maintenance and Engineering Department has been tasked with the upgrade works. Caribbean Airlines says it is saving hundreds of thousands of TT dollars by doing the work in-house instead of sending the aircraft to an external maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility.
Once an aircraft rolls into the hangar, the clock starts ticking. Every second spent on the ground costs the airline money so the focus is on getting the aircraft in and out of the hangar with as little downtime as possible. The entire process can take approximately two weeks and there’s a laundry list of tasks to get through. This isn’t like overhauling a car, the process is much more detailed and subject to stringent safety and security protocols.
Under the watchful eyes of the engineers, all the seats are removed and taken to the upholstery shop for overhaul. The old upholstery and seatback tray tables are removed, and the seats are stripped down to bare metal and repainted. The padding is reupholstered and then re-installed along with the armrests and the seatbelts.
Each seat is meticulously inspected and tested before it can be returned to the aircraft. In a different part of the upholstery shop, new carpet is measured out, cut, and surged to prevent fraying and put aside ready for installation.
While the upholstery shop has its work cut out, technicians are busy working inside the aircraft. With the seats gone, the aircraft is almost an empty shell, allowing them to access and work on the major systems that lie below the aircraft’s floorboards. During this process, the cabin side panels and windows are also inspected, cleaned, and replaced where necessary.
At the front of the cabin, avionics engineers are tasked with changing out the old avionics systems. The new avionics systems don’t extend the aircraft range but rather make each aircraft more efficient and enhance its performance.
As for the last few things on the checklist—the various components are reassembled and reinstalled on the aircraft, inspected, and then cleared to return to the skies.
