Thompson Aero develop new pioneering aircraft seating in Portadown

Portadown-based Thompson Aero Seating has launched a pioneering new type of aircraft seating at the 2022 Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg.

The new commercial aircraft seat – the VantageDUO - is revolutionary concept in bringing greater passenger comfort without taking up any additional space to business-class seating.

It was designed and engineered by Thompson Aero Seating’s experts at its facility in Portadown and was launched to an international audience in Germany last week.

Andy Morris, VP commercial for Thompson Aero Seating, said: “The show was the perfect place to launch our new seat.

“AIX is a huge and well-respected showcase for aircraft cabin interiors and the VantageDUO generated significant interest and many positive comments. Our airline customers were pleased to be able to see and experience our expanded seating range and to be able to re-connect with us not only as a company but also as friends.”

The VantageDUO has been developed specifically for the fast-growing long-range single-aisle market – flights of four to six hours, on narrow-body aircraft - where business-class passengers do not need to have a fully flat-bed but would pay for greater comfort than a recliner seat.

The seat is based upon the zero-gravity principle, where research into the relationship between posture and pressure has established the most comfortable position possible, other than lying flat. Clever design and engineering mean the VantageDUO achieves this in the same space used by a traditional recliner business-class seat.

Andy continued: “The VantageDUO offers exceptional comfort and a very marketable seating option, for the same number of passengers as with traditional recliner style business-class seating. Thompson Aero Seating is known for creating unique concepts and we are very proud to have developed this seat entirely at our facilities in Northern Ireland. It was well-received by airline customers attending the Show and we are looking forward to a launch customer in the not-too-distant future.”

Thompson Aero Seating has a worldwide customer base featuring many of the top airlines including Delta, China Eastern and Singapore Airlines.