Alaska Airlines has awarded Recaro Aircraft Seating the contract to manufacture and supply its BL3530 economy class seats for 32 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, as well as to retrofit 11 aircraft with its CL4710 business class seats. This contract builds on an existing cooperation between the companies, with more than 80% of Alaska Airlines’ fleet of aircraft currently equipped with seats from the German aircraft seat manufacturer.
Alaska Airlines will be the launch customer for the CL4710 business class seat, designed specifically for domestic and shorter international flights. Features of the seat include a tablet holder with a power outlet for passengers’ personal electronic devices, which is conveniently integrated into the in-arm table. The seat will be installed in the First Class cabins of Alaska Airlines’ Boeing aircraft, starting in fall (autumn) 2018.
“We have been working very closely with Alaska Airlines for six years. Together we are defining the requirements for the aircraft seats and taking the customer through the entire product lifecycle. Customer feedback helps us to optimize the seats on a continuous basis,” said Sunitha Vegerla, general manager of Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas, the company’s US facility.
Dr Mark Hiller, CEO of Recaro Aircraft Seating, added: “Recaro was the first European aircraft seat manufacturer to establish a production site in the US, in 1998. In 2013, the size of the manufacturing facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, was more than doubled to cover approximately 250,000 square feet, and the annual production volume increased to over 30,000 seat units. Currently more than 400 employees work at Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas. Recaro recognizes Alaska’s long standing partnership and major received orders as a main contributor to the growth of the site. We are very proud of this partnership, and excited that the entire Alaska Airlines fleet will be equipped solely by Recaro in the coming years.”
