One of the world’s leading aeroplane manufacturers has come up with a radical new seat design -with split-level seating inside the cabin.

The arrangement proposed by Airbus designers would be used in a premium cabin such as business class with rows in the middle section alternating between floor level and an elevated level that is several feet higher.

Every seat would recline into a lying position, and those at the lower level would have an ottoman with stairs or a ladder mounted on the side to allow passengers to climb into their mezzanine seats.

In its patent filing, Airbus says its mezzanine seating plan would be used in a premium cabin such as business

The radical design would see rows of elevated seats in the middle section of wide-body aircraft

Every seat would recline into a lying position, with stairs or a ladder providing access to the upper level

The design was created by a team of Airbus employees in Hamburg, Germany, and filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, although it may never see the light of day.

Based on some drawings, the seats would be angled so passengers in the middle section wouldn’t be forced to stare into the backs of the seats in front of them.

With this design, business class - where there are no overhead storage bins in the middle section - may no longer be as roomy as it is now.

Airbus would be able to fit more seats into premium cabins on wide-body planes where passengers are normally seated six across, and airlines would be able to sell more tickets.

Airbus wrote in the patent filing: ‘In modern means of transport, in particular in aircraft, it is very important from an economic point of view to make optimum use of the available space in a passenger cabin.

Airbus employees tinkered with the design, with some drawings showing seats facing each other

The design was created by a team of Airbus employees who are based in Hamburg, Germany

With this design, Airbus would be able to fit more seats into premium cabins on wide-body planes

‘Passenger cabins are therefore fitted with as many rows of passenger seats as possible, which are positioned with as little space between them as possible.

‘In order to still more efficiently use the space in a passenger cabin of an aircraft, [the patent] proposes to position an elevated deck structure on a main deck floor in the passenger cabin of a wide-body aircraft for providing a mezzanine seating area in a substantially unused upper lobe of the aircraft fuselage.’

Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, insisted the premium cabin would maintain ‘a high level of comfort’ despite the radical design, and there would be enough head room for passengers on both levels.

Lower seats would have an ottoman with stairs or a ladder on the side to allow passengers to climb up

Airbus said it files some 600 patents each year, but that doesn't mean all of the patents are adopted

Airbus insisted the premium cabin would maintain ‘a high level of comfort’ with enough head room

The company tinkered with a few different designs, with drawings showing seats that face each other, or one or two seats in each elevated row.

An Airbus spokeswoman said: 'Airbus files some 600 patents each year in order to protect its intellectual property.

'This doesn't necessarily mean that all of the patents are adopted on an aircraft. Therefore, we are not in a position to further discuss this design.'