Recaro’s Sprint Program Speeds Up Seating for Leased Aircraft
Share
Recaro’s kitting approach enables delivery of a full shipset of seats within two months of receipt of order. The seat manufacturer has been making room to grow its production capacity by expanding its headquarters in Schwaebisch Hall as well as its production sites in China, Poland and the USA.
Recaro Aircraft Seating’s new Sprint program, which streamlines seat production for leased aircraft, has launched with the installation of the first shipset on a Boeing 737 aircraft owned by Air Lease Corporation. Recaro developed the Sprint approach to seat manufacturing in response to market demand from lessors for a solution that would allow aircraft to re-enter service quickly.
“The feedback we gathered from lessors reflected a clear need for seats with a shorter lead time, so we began brainstorming,” said Sophie Moeller, regional sales director, Customer Service at Recaro Aircraft Seating. “We first developed the Smart and Swift programs, which supply seats within six and four months, respectively, but it was clear that an even shorter timeframe was needed. We collaborated with program management and engineering to create a pre-developed seat that could be ordered and shipped within two months, and Sprint was born.”
The Sprint program works through a catalogue approach. Lessors can equip either Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft with Recaro’s lightweight BL3530 economy seats, which have been designed to optimize passenger living space and comfort on short- and medium-haul flights, while keeping maintenance costs for the airline in check.
Each seat includes a high literature pocket, a recline of up to four inches, an ergonomic seat cushion and a coat hook. Under the Sprint program, these seats can be quickly customized with a selection of e-leather seat covers in light blue, dark blue, light grey or red.
Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation leases its fleet to airline customers worldwide. The company had 292 aircraft in its owned fleet at the end of 2019, valued at $18.7 billion. Of these, 97 are A320 family aircraft and 104 are Boeing 737 variants. The aircraft in their fleet have a weighted average age of 3.5 years and a weighted average lease term remaining of 7.2 years.