The document discusses the race for developing lighter aircraft seating. Rising fuel costs are incentivizing airlines to invest in weight-reducing technologies. Aircraft seating manufacturers are developing seats using composites that are 30% lighter. Companies like Recaro have obtained certification for seats that are 3kg lighter and reduce space while improving passenger comfort. Lighter seats benefit airlines through reduced fuel costs and increased payload, and benefit the environment through lower emissions.

1. The Race for the Future of Aircraft Seating
The benefits of reducing the basic empty weight (BEW) of commercial aircrafts are widespread and
therefore have become a high priority for airline manufactures. Any design that results in a reduced
BEW, or an overall reduction in weight of the aircraft will reduce the amount of fuel required to operate
a commercial aircraft and thus the cost of fuel. This benefits the economy, the environment and
consumers who will indirectly benefit from reduced ticket prices. Aircraft seating manufacturers are
aware that the race for the future is now; the monopoly on aircraft seating production is for the taking.
The aircraft industry is struggling. Where there previously no such strong incentive to invest in
radically new technology existed, the industry suddenly doesn’t have a choice. With jet fuel prices
approaching $130 US dollars/barrel, airlines have to invest in something. They have to invest in
whatever viable alternative presents itself in an effort to increase profit in a difficult time. The plan for
the future is to decrease the amount of room installed aircraft components take up in order to increase
the amount of space available, with intentions of maximizing the payload which means more
passengers per flight and thus increased revenue, as well as reduced ticket prices for passengers. It
has been estimated that each pound reduction on the aircraft will save $500 in fuel. On the plane,
seating has been targeted by manufactures and aircraft seating engineers as a main area where
weight and the space passenger seating occupies can significantly be reduced. The aim is not to
deprive passengers of comfort or amenities, which would simply be out of the question for commercial
aircrafts who need to contend with other airlines, but rather to decrease the weight of already existing
amenities on the aircraft. Individual passengers can benefit from potentially more affordable flights,
society will reap the benefits of new highly skilled jobs being produced, reduced Carbon and C02
emissions will be as a result of decreased jet fuel consumption and thus also the environment will
benefit. Aircrafts today need light, more affordable solutions for their interior components. It is
suggested that the efficiency of fuel can be doubled given significant amendments to the weight of the
aircraft. Many companies have been experimenting with different materials and designs in an effort to
produce lighter seats. The biggest obstacle to reducing the weight of seats and thus the overall weight
of the aircraft is that amendments that will affect the load of the aircraft must be reassessed and
adhere to the aircraft safety and legal requirements, as well as successfully pass through certification
processes.
There are a dozen companies with new innovations hoping that airlines will favor their seats over the
numerous others, many of which will never be given a patent because they don’t comply with aircraft
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IQPC GmbH | Friedrichstr. 94 | D-10117 Berlin, Germany
t: +49 (0) 30 2091 3330 | f: +49 (0) 30 2091 3263 | e: eq@iqpc.de | w: www.iqpc.de
Visit IQPC for a portfolio of topic-related events, congresses, seminars and conferences: www.iqpc.de

2. safety and legal requirements. One of those main requirements is that seats must be designed to
withstand strong forces so as not to break or come loose from their floor tracks during turbulence or
accidents. There are a number of major international governing bodies pertaining to aviation. One is
the ICAO or the International Civil Aviation Organization, which governs and introduces legislation for
every aspect of aviation. Others include the Committee on Aviation Environmental protection or the
ICAO, this committee is obviously all for lighter seating or any new technology that would decrease
aircraft emissions which governs all things concerning aircraft, flight safety, aviation medicine, flight
safety information exchange. These organizations have numerous ergonomics and safety standards
which all new aircraft companies must adhere to in order to obtain certification and be eligible for
manufacturing. If new technologies or innovations compromise the relative safety of the passengers,
the technology will be rejected and will not be invested in or undergo manufacturing, even if he
respective technology does reduce the weight of the aircraft. Of course many organizations are fully in
support of any research that could potentially result in lighter aircraft designs. The ICAO’s main
concern is the environment. However with regards to the industry itself, the industry’s main concern
is evidently maximizing profit: their problems are financial. The industry is desperately looking for a
solution to the consistently rising gas prices, and it has reached the point where a substantial
investment in renovating the aircrafts themselves has become essential in order for the aviation
industry to continue to prosper. A few engineers and aircraft seating manufacturers have not only
succeeded in reducing the overall weight of aircraft but have also simultaneously improved the
ergonomics and safety for passengers.
Some experimentation with various materials have fostered limited success, one example of this is the
first application of thermoplastic advanced composites which save substantial amount of weight when
applied to aircraft seating. Not only does this material save weight, these materials are also eco-
friendly, recyclable and boast tremendous amounts of savings. This is currently at the forefront of new
innovations concerning lighter aircraft by means of lighter seats and at the moment a leading example
of triple bottom application that will help advanced composites made with carbon-fiber thermoplastic
resins into broader energy saving applications, and example is lightweight automobiles. This new
technology is far more practical and sustainable than prior aircraft seating designs. The use of
thermoplastic resins is biocompatible and benign to organisms and thus more ecologically friendly. It
is also 5 to 10 times stronger than metals which either rust or erode. Socially, this will result in
employment becoming more widespread in developed countries, as they will be required for
manufacturing such advanced composite seat frames with the fiberforge process, which has strict
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IQPC GmbH | Friedrichstr. 94 | D-10117 Berlin, Germany
t: +49 (0) 30 2091 3330 | f: +49 (0) 30 2091 3263 | e: eq@iqpc.de | w: www.iqpc.de
Visit IQPC for a portfolio of topic-related events, congresses, seminars and conferences: www.iqpc.de

3. environmental and labor practices as opposed to competitive composite processes that are employed
in developing countries with little regards for worker safety. It is economical as a result of A) Lighter
projects save energy and B) This technology lasts significantly longer and is recyclable.
Some companies have already obtained certification using similar technologies. Certainly at the front
of the pack is Recaro, an aircraft seating company in Germany who has revealed a new space
optimized seating technology, fostering lighter, leaner and more comfortable aircraft seats. They
unveiled their new basic line the 3520, an economy class seat for short haul flights at the aircrafts
interiors Expo in April 2011, in Hamburg. The seat demonstrated significant savings in weight,
managing to reduce the weight so that it was 3 Kg lighter than the BL3520 seat, in other words by a
whopping 30%. They also managed to reduce space savings which will help airlines drastically lower
the cost of fuel, and reduce the CO2 emissions, while maximizing the amount of passenger that can
safely and comfortably board a plane, thus increasing the profit margin. All while avoiding
compromising passenger comfort and safety. This is as a result of new innovative technology, a new
leaner backrest, combined with a higher literature pocket. Instead of being traditionally located at the
passenger’s knees like preceding aircraft seating designs, the literature pocket is in this case located
above the tray table which ensures an outstanding level of passenger comfort. This allows airlines to
install additional seats and still remarkably offer more legroom, which positively impacts the profit of
airlines without compromising the ergonomics and safety of passengers. In fact it has not only
reduced seat weight and width but at the same time improved the comfort of and ergonomics of
passengers by working closely with German universities to develop a study of optimal backrest
contours, the results were integrated into their new seating designs. But Recaro isn’t the only aircraft
seating manufacturing company scrambling to unveil new models of aircraft seating, although they are
no doubt currently on top, already receiving patents and being installed in airlines. Others such as the
Thompson Company, a veteran aircraft seating company, unveiled the “Cozy Suite” which offers a 31
to 38 inch pitch. That’s a notable step up from typical airline seats which generally have pitches
ranging from 28 to 30 inches. Thompson’s new seating designs boast high comfort, a patented tip-up
seat pan, allowing easy access to seats installed at the same pitch, the patented seat recline which
slides down and forwards and reclines you to a perfect lounging position.
The race for the future of aircraft seating is now. The irony is that despite the damage and hardship
that the accumulative increase in fuel prices have caused the aircraft industry, it is these very
hardships and obstacles that have become the catalyst in igniting new innovations, not just beneficial
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IQPC GmbH | Friedrichstr. 94 | D-10117 Berlin, Germany
t: +49 (0) 30 2091 3330 | f: +49 (0) 30 2091 3263 | e: eq@iqpc.de | w: www.iqpc.de
Visit IQPC for a portfolio of topic-related events, congresses, seminars and conferences: www.iqpc.de

4. to the aircraft industry itself, but to the economy and to the environment as well. Would Airlines be
investing in new aircraft seating designs had jet fuel prices remained the same? Would they feel as
impelled to do so? It is often when businesses are backed into a corner and need an immediate
answer to their problems that innovation runs rampant. In the case of lightweight seating, not only do
the airlines benefit from having them installed into their carriers, but so do the economy, the
environment and passengers. The future of aviation is looking up.
Want to learn more about current developments in aircraft seating?
Visit our download centre for more articles, whitepapers and interviews:
http://bit.ly/aircraft-seating
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IQPC GmbH | Friedrichstr. 94 | D-10117 Berlin, Germany
t: +49 (0) 30 2091 3330 | f: +49 (0) 30 2091 3263 | e: eq@iqpc.de | w: www.iqpc.de
Visit IQPC for a portfolio of topic-related events, congresses, seminars and conferences: www.iqpc.de