Business class seats are very sought-after travel options, even for domestic or short flights. The travel class is offered by many airlines over the world, but has varying levels of comfort depending on what product is used. The most exclusive business class seats, however, may not be from one of the large, luxury travel airlines that you would expect.
Azman Air, a Nigeria-based airline, actually holds what could be considered the most exclusive business class in the world. In its newest Airbus A340-600, Azman Air only offers two business class seats. The capacity for this aircraft, which was acquired from Virgin Atlantic in 2020, is 413, meaning the remaining 411 seats are all economy.
The Airbus A340 of Azman Air
The airline took delivery of its new Airbus A340 back in 2020. The aircraft, which is registered as 5N-AAM, had previously flown for Virgin Atlantic since 2006. After taking delivery of the aircraft, Azman Air began operations with the aircraft in September 2021. Taking delivery of the new A340 was an interesting decision for the airline. Prior to Azman Air accepting delivery of the A340, the airline only operated six older Boeing 737 aircraft, per ch-aviation.
Photo: Azman Air
Azman Air believed that by acquiring a new quadjet aircraft, it would be able to operate international flights. Some of its initial destinations were supposed to be from Nigeria to Dubai, Jeddah, and China. However, the rapid expansion into international flight operations did not immediately go to plan. Flightradar24 shows that the A340 flew several flights to other countries in the Middle East and Africa in 2021 and 2022. The airline currently has its services listed as only offering domestic destinations.
However, the airline has struggled with even domestic operations as of recently. Last month, the airline suspended all commercial operations and placed all of its employees on mandatory leave without pay. This is due to part shortages and maintenance issues that have forced all the airline’s Boeing 737 aircraft out of service for C-Checks.
Unique seating configuration
As Azman Air has suspended all of its commercial operations, the airline’s A340 is currently being stored at Kano Mallam Aminu International Airport (KAN). The unique configuration of its passenger seating remains, however.
Although the aircraft was acquired from Virgin Atlantic, there are no real similarities in the seating layout between the two configurations. Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A340-600s typically utilize 45 Upper Class seats, 38 premium seats, and 233 economy seats. This brings the total cabin capacity to 316 seats. Azman Air, however, completely renovated the aircraft’s interior after taking delivery, specifying just two central business class seats.
Photo: Azman Air
The two seats are front and center of the aircraft. While the row directly behind it has a 2-4-2 configuration, the front row has a 2-2-2 configuration. The two business class seats are offered in the middle section. The business class seats use an upgraded leather, and are wider and have slightly more legroom than the economy seats. There is also no visible separation, such as a curtain, between the economy class and business class that is typically seen.
Some speculate that the reason for this configuration was to offer specialized seating for VIPs aboard the flight. However, it is still relatively unclear what will come of these unique seats, as the airline has suspended all commercial operations.