Airbus and German manufacturer Recaro Aircraft Seating have partnered to introduce supplier-furnished economy-class seats on the A320 family.
The proposed new seat, named '3530Swift', is based on Recaro’s BL3530 already developed for the narrowbody and will be available later this year, says Airbus, as both line-fit and retrofit options.
Until now, all economy-class seats on A320-familiy aircraft have been installed as buyer-furnished equipment. The 3530Swift, however, will be supplier-furnished, available in predefined, pre-qualified and pre-certified Airbus layouts and catalogue configurations.
Airbus
This will save airlines time in the interior configuration process by removing the requirement for individual product approval, says Airbus. Its buyer-furnished equipment catalogue will continue to be updated.
Heino Ostermeier, Airbus senior vice-president of cabin procurement, says: “We are confident that Recaro’s 3530Swift will be the right solution to meet the requirements which our customers expect, especially in terms of short lead times, an efficient selection of customisation options, reliable scheduling and on-time delivery.”
Options on the 3530Swift include more stowage space, a six-way adjustable headrest, a tablet PC holder and tablet PC stowage, as well as a power socket for USB and PC.
Airbus says the “pitch efficiency” of the seat will allow the installation of additional seat rows “while maintaining leg room”. However, it provides no further details on the potential capacity gain.
Source: Flight Daily News
