Recaro: new seating space on Airbuses
Added on Mon July 31st, 2023
Recaro Aircraft Seating has come up with an innovative solution for narrow-body Airbuses operating at short and medium haul to allow for more passengers.
It is a new product called X-TEND that involves a shorter seat and a folding extension. The solution should meet the 13-inch pass-through requirements for emergency exits, as required by EASA and FAA. In fact, when the extension is not activated, the 13-inch space is ensured between the rows in the emergency exit, as required. When the extension is engaged, the seat appears as a normal cushion.
The company says that the implementation of X-Tend Seat would increase the capacity of an A320 aircraft. This could mean that new or existing Airbus A319, A220, A320 and A321 aircraft could have reduced legroom in the emergency exit seats in the future.
Commenting on the new product, Dr. Mark Hiller, the chief executive of RECARO Aircraft Seating and RECARO Holding, said:
“The X-Tend Seat is an exciting addition to our competencies, as RECARO is committed to providing our customers with a valuable and innovative portfolio of seating solutions. This design collaboration with Airbus is unlike anything currently seen on the market and has been an important step in our partnership.”
While this implementation would allow airlines to fly with the maximum capacity configuration on board, the costs to be said may not be worth it.
In fact, it is not sure that airlines will implement this modification in the future as emergency exit seating generates more lucrative ancillary revenue than the actual significant profits, and this aspect could be a further obstacle to the widespread adoption of the ‘X-Tend Seat’.
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