Airlines set to install bidets onboard

To most, the not-so-humble bidet is associated with penthouse suites, the ingenuity of French plumbing and, of course, Crocodile Dundee.

However, bidets may soon be found aboard commercial airlines after a new design was unveiled at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.

Zodiac Aerospace, a French company, revealed its new design, the Revolution Premium Bidet, at the convention this month.

The company also posted details of the product on Twitter, revealing that the device can be fitted to a Revolution Toilet and includes an auto-sanitise feature.

As reported in Travel + Leisure, the bidet will feature “special disinfectant lighting” as well as both “front and back spritzer washing” and fittings which work more like “running fountains”. The variations in design are aimed to suit preferences in local markets.

Onboard bidets are a regular feature in first class cabins. Cathay Pacific 747, Thai A380 and Emirates A380 planes have all had bidet features in their first class bathrooms.

However, Zodiac Aerospace’s bidet is set to be the first of its type widely available across commercial airlines, and is predicted to be used on a Middle Eastern or Asian airline first.

It’s been a busy year for the onboard equipment manufacturer so far. In February, it announced that Singapore Airlines had agreed to retrofit its Boeing 777 fleet with Zodiac’s Revolution vacuum toilet, and it has also partnered with Airbus to develop lower-deck sleeping facilities designed to fit inside aircrafts’ cargo compartments.

A number of innovative designs were showcased at the 2018 edition of Aircraft Interiors Expo, including a collaboration between Virgin Atlantic and Bluebox Aviation to create in-flight entertainment systems for people with sight loss. Italian seating manufacturer Avio Interiors, meanwhile, raised eyebrows with a new upright seat design that is more like a saddle than a chair and could see airlines increase capacity by 20 per cent.