Expliseat targets growth in North American regional aviation marketRunway Girl

Expliseat, which boasts an order book of around €50 million, has raised €36 million in a new funding round as it prepares to scale its lightweight aircraft seating technology globally. The French seatmaker is especially focused on growing its market share in the North American regional aviation industry and has opened a commercial hub in Montreal.

“The funding round was led by Crédit Mutuel Innovation (CMI), along with the SPI fund managed by Bpifrance for the French Government with the participation of Supernova Invest and Swen Capital,” Expliseat said in a 12 June statement. “As historical investors, BNP Paribas Développement, GO Capital, and NCI are renewing their confidence.”

In an exchange this spring with Runway Girl Network, Expliseat said it believes the North American regional aviation market has “long suffered” from a lack of modern seating options. It revealed it’s targeting a full 50% share of the market.

Created in 2011, Expliseat uses an innovative combination of titanium and composite alloy technology to create lightweight economy class seats.

Branded TiSeat, the technology has gone through three significant evolutions. The TiSeat 1 (formally referred to as E1) represents the original design with a primary focus on achieving the lowest possible weight. Expliseat reckons this was the lightest aircraft seat ever commercialized at ~4kg/passenger.

The TiSeat 2, meanwhile (formally E2) is an upgraded version of the original design, crafted to satisfy longer regional flights including with comfort features like recline capabilities when required.

TiSeat 2 by Expliseat is seen here on Port Airlines Q400

Porter Airlines is an Expliseat customer. So too is Air Canada. Image of Porter Q400 cabin: Jason Rabinowitz

Expliseat believes the TiSeat 2 design “perfectly serves the needs of regional operators (primarily turboprops),” but that a design upgrade was required to deliver the “functionality and aesthetics expectations” of network carriers and single-aisle operators. Enter the new TiSeat 2X platform, which was introduced in 2024 in collaboration with Air France and its HOP! unit.

With the TiSeat 2X, Expliseat offers operators a variety of cushioning, lumbar support, and literature pockets, as well as living space optimization at different pitches, as Expliseat showcased at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, and also this year for the first time at the MRO Americas 2025 event.

Should an airline want to adopt TiSeat 2X for single-aisle aircraft but embed seatback IFE screens in them, Expliseat confirmed to RGN it is open to such integrations and in fact “has evaluated” them.

“The TiSeat Design upper literature pocket for example has been designed to potentially host an IFE screen,” said the firm.

“Expliseat is constantly monitoring market trends and needs, and recognizes that single-aisle long haul markets (A321XLR for example) as well as the domestic North American market (just to name a few) requires seats with IFE capabilities, and is in discussion with customers and IFE manufacturers to evaluate feasibilities.”

Expliseat seats are available for ATR 42 and 72 turboprops, the Q400, Comac’s ARJ21, and Embraer’s E1 and E2 families, as well as on Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 series twinjets. And Expliseat’s products are present in ATR, Airbus, and Comac catalogues.

In addition to further expanding its North American footprint, and broadening its product range by developing “a new generation of premium ultralight seats,” Expliseat is also looking to use its fresh funding to accelerate diversification into other sectors starting with rail and electric buses, where several projects are underway.

The Paris-headquartered company recently opened an assembly plant in Angers, France, and wants to become a key player in low-carbon mobility.

For Amaury Barberot, CEO of Expliseat, the latest funding round marks a decisive step in Expliseat’s history.

“The renewed confidence of historical investors and the support of leading players such as Crédit Mutuel Innovation and Supernova Invest give us the means to invest in new ultra-light technologies and to continue our development on a global scale. We are proud of the progress made and the commitment of our teams who work every day to design concrete solutions for the decarbonization of mobility,” he said.