Croatia Airlines, the country's national airline and a member of the Star Alliance, is undergoing a fleet transformation by replacing its current aircraft with the Airbus A220-300. The transition aims to enhance efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by 25% compared to older models. However, passengers have noticed an unusual feature in these new planes: seat 31E in the last row is unbookable.
The Airbus A220-300 can accommodate between 120 and 160 passengers depending on configuration. Croatia Airlines has configured their aircraft with 149 seats due to occupancy limits related to safety regulations. This limit is dictated by the presence of only one overwing exit per side of the aircraft. If there were more than 149 passengers, additional exits would be required.
Sven Wöste, a recent traveler on Croatia Airlines' A220-300, observed that seat 31E was marked with "Do not occupy this seat" and lacked a seatbelt. AvioRadar had previously noted this restriction and confirmed with Airbus that it was due to occupancy limits.