Bucher has unveiled its new single-aisle self-service pantry, built and designed for JetBlue; the first of its kind the company has designed and constructed for a narrowbody aircraft.
The impetus to design the new galley product came from JetBlue, says Beat Burlet chief executive of Bucher, with the US carrier drawing upon Bucher’s widebody experience in the self-service pantry areas. “We know how to design them, manufacture reliable products, which is combined with our experience of single-aisle galleys,” he says.
Although space constraints within the narrbowody sector are more limiting, the new product “reflects the demand we see on the market,” he adds, highlighting the increasing number of airlines looking to offer a full service even on single-aisle flights: something set to rise with the introduction of more longer-range narrowbodies such as the A321XLR.
Across Bucher’s range of products, Burlet identifies branding elements as another key trend airlines are increasingly adopting, including across the Asian market.
Also on display at AIX is the company’s new baby crib, the ‘Sky Bassinet,’ a new product offering for Bucher and one which Bucher developed alongside an as-yet unidentified industry partner over the last year and a half. Featuring a foldable mechanism smaller and lighter than any existing mechanism, the ready-to-market product also addresses issues of weight saving.
Alongside constantly making products lighter, Burlet says that increasing the reliability of items across their life cycle and addressing recyclability continue to be key areas of focus. “Our vision is that new [increasingly recyclable] plastics or composites can definitely take a major role,” he says.
