The end of the line could finally be in sight for the embarrassing air travel ritual of waiting in the aisle to go to the toilet.
Airbus, the manufacturer of the A380 superjumbo, is working on a plan to install urinals into its planes.
The company is talking to Zodiac, a French company and key supplier, about developing urinals and other new toilet designs for its planes, including disabled lavatories.
Airbus is aiming to optimise space and help passengers save time by reducing queues for the toilet during a flight. The installation of urinals could free up room for additional women’s toilets and disabled loos.
An Airbus source said: “Options for urinals are being developed and are being looked into by a number of airlines.”
Toilets have long been a dilemma for airlines and plane manufacturers because of the space they take up. Michael O’Leary, the boss of Ryanair, threatened to charge passengers for using the toilet on his planes or even get rid of them altogether, complaining they were taking up space that could be used for extra seats.
Airbus has been dogged with its own toilet troubles on its new aircraft, the A350. Delays in the delivery of the toilets for the plane by Zodiac have led to slower than expected production of the A350. In an unusual move, Airbus publicly shamed Zodiac earlier this year for causing delays to production of the plane.
Urinals have been installed in the past in the first class area of some planes, such as Lufthansa’s A380s. However, a lack of technological developments has prevented their widespread use and some airlines prefer the privacy of traditional toilets.
