Turkish Airlines is expecting to begin the highly anticipated Crystal Business Class suite service next month. The suites will appear on all of the airline’s new deliveries of the Airbus A350s.
What can passengers expect?
Turkish Airlines claims the Crystal suite has been developed in-house by its subsidiary TCI Aircraft Interiors, though some have noticed a striking resemblance to the Safran Unity suite, flown by Japan Airlines, Riyadh Air and, soon, Qantas.
The Crystal business class suite will feature:
- An all-forward-facing layout, in comparison to an angled ‘herringbone’ design
- A sliding privacy door at almost the same height as the suite walls
- 23-inch-wide seat and large footwell
- 22-inch 4K OLED Panasonic Astrova screens with, presumably, Bluetooth streaming
- AC, USB-C and wireless charging
- A wide console topped with a personal locker.
Reflecting the airline’s new “Flow” brand identity, the Crystal suites swap the dark tones of the current business class cabin for a lighter and warmer colour palette, including a marble-style surface on the tables and rose gold finishes across the suite.
More about Crystal Business Class and A350-1000
Hailed by Turkish Airlines as “a new chapter for [their] long-haul luxury travel”, the Crystal suite has been anticipated since its announcement two and a half years ago in mid-2024, during which the airline hoped for an early 2025 launch.
Chairman of Turkish Airlines Murat Seker told Business Traveller:
“We hope the seat will be available by before the end of this year, by November.”
The Crystal suite will be on all of the airline’s new deliveries of the A350S, including the long-range A350-1000 fleet, which will be operating non-stop flights from Istanbul to Sydney at the end of 2027, and Melbourne to Istanbul in 2028, skipping layovers at Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and saving five hours from the journey time.
Eight of the aircraft will have 66 Crystal suites, while the other seven will have 48 suites. This configuration reduces the aircraft’s overall weight, helping extend its range and keeping revenue high with the high number of business class seats.
What are your thoughts on Turkish Airlines’ Crystal business class suite? Let us know in the comments!
