AIX 2024: Acro Scores Seating Contracts with Volotea, flyadeal
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Acro Aircraft Seating (Acro) has announced two new seating contracts at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) event in Hamburg; one with Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea and the other with Saudi Arabia-based low-cost airline flyadeal.
Volotea Launches Reclining Acro Series 9 Seat
Volotea will become the first airline to fly with the reclining version of the Acro Series 9 economy-class seat (S9R), which is being incorporated on its narrow-body Airbus fleet consisting of A319s and A320s as part of a five–year contract.
The carrier hopes to deploy the seat on five aircraft by the end of this year, with the remainder of its narrow-body jets set to be outfitted with Acro’s S9R, which has a nine-degree recline, by 2028.
Volotea has customized the seat with a grey vegan leather cover and headrests that blend Volotea’s distinctive Vichy pattern with its corporate colors. The seats also feature a custom high-level literature stowage and lower bungee pocket.
“When it came to creating a bespoke and new Reclining version of the Series 9, the Volotea team proved themselves to be outstandingly knowledgeable and creative partners”
Neil Cairns, Acro
Eduard Diviu, Volotea’s COO, said, “We are constantly working to elevate our customer experience, as demonstrated by this significant retrofit programme. The reclining Series 9 brings fresh benefits to our passengers and its contemporary elegance undoubtedly enhances the overall visual impact of the cabin. We are certain that our customers will really appreciate the enhanced personal space as well as the comfort of the new seats.”
“We have worked with Volotea since 2015 and we are delighted to have earned their continuing confidence with this latest order,” stated Acro’s CEO Neil Cairns. “When it came to creating a bespoke and new Reclining version of the Series 9, the Volotea team proved themselves to be outstandingly knowledgeable and creative partners and their input is reflected in this fabulous new seat.”
Flyadeal to Upgrade from Series 6 to Series 9 Economy Seat on New A320neos
Acro has been working with flyadeal since April 2021, having since delivered 22 shipsets of its Series 6 seat to the carrier for installation onboard its Airbus A320neo aircraft, with a further two shipsets on schedule for delivery this month.
Now, flyadeal has announced plans to upgrade to Acro’s Series 9 seat for its upcoming deliveries of further Airbus A320neo between 2024 through to 2026. The new will deliver a substantial weight advantage versus the Series 6 model.
While the specific weight saving will depend on the features of the seat selected by flyadeal, the weight of the Series 6 seat begins at 8.8 kilograms per passenger, while the Series 9 seat starts at 7.5 kilograms per passenger.
Cairns said, “Designed to meet the rigorous demands of today’s increasingly value-driven airlines, our economy-class champion, the Series 9, is acclaimed for its combination of lightweight living space, easy maintenance and robust performance.
“We are thrilled at this vote of confidence and look forward to working closely with flyadeal to create, with them, a bespoke version of this stunning seat which will reflect both the brand and corporate values of the company.”