HAMBURG — French seatmaker Expliseat has announced two firsts at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg: its entry into the business class market and the signing of its first US-based airline customers.

Expliseat is unveiling the TiSeat S at the show — a family of business class seats aimed initially at Embraer E-Jet and CRJ regional aircraft but scalable to Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 series twinjets.

The TiSeat S is designed for installation from a 36-inch pitch and its “optimized armrest” allows for a 20.5-inch seat width, an Expliseat spokesperson tells Runway Girl Network. It is “definitely lighter than existing regional business class seats,” and is up to 40% lighter than “conventional industry standards.”

“Depending on aircraft configuration, that translates to savings up to 600kg per aircraft on a regional aircraft, if we couple it with a TiSeat 2X solution for the main cabin, and over twice as much on a single-aisle aircraft,” says the spokesperson.

“On comfort and privacy, the seat features a wrap-around backrest, mechanical up and down armrest with enhanced width, a movable leg rest, comfort recline, ergonomic headrest, and integrated cocktail and tray tables.”

The seat, which has an all-carbon fiber backshell and “advanced cushioning,” has been in development for more than two years in “close collaboration” with North American and European airlines, says Expliseat. No launch customer has been announced but “commercial conversations are underway,” according to the seatmaker.

The TiSeat S will initially be available as a retrofit solution, with linefit capability to follow as the program develops. Entry into service is planned for 2027.

In addition to launching a new business class seat, Expliseat is celebrating its first contracts with US-based airline customers. The manufacturer has signed agreements with two “major” unnamed US carriers “with significant regional operations” for its TiSeat 2X economy class seat. One agreement is for a retrofit program on CRJ regional jets while the other represents Expliseat’s first Embraer linefit selection. Expliseat says it is not in a position to disclose detailed order volumes or a delivery timeline at this stage.

The Paris-headquartered seatmaker told Runway Girl Network last year that it was targeting a 50% share of the North American regional aviation market, which it said had “long suffered” from a lack of modern seating options. In addition to its two new US customers, Expliseat’s North American presence also includes agreements with Air Canada and Porter.

“While Expliseat already has an established presence in North America, [the US-based airline] wins represent its most significant breakthrough in the region to date, making it the first new entrant to a market that has long been served exclusively by three traditional seat suppliers,” says the spokesperson.

The TiSeat 2X is “uniquely suited to the US market,” Expliseat’s North American sales VP, Jean-François Tessier, said in a 13 April statement. He noted that the US market is “evolving toward higher expectations in both efficiency and passenger experience,” and the two new US contracts “illustrate how lightweight seating is becoming a structural component of that transformation.”

Expliseat also announced during AIX that it has signed a new retrofit agreement with “a leading Asia-Pacific carrier” for its TiSeat 2V Prime product. The 2V Prime is aimed at longer-range flights on turboprop aircraft. It is certified for ATR and Dash 8 turboprops and features an adjustable 4.5-6in recline. Other Asia-Pacific carriers among Expliseat’s customer base include Air Tahiti, Air Caledonia and Cebu Pacific.

With the capacity to produce 32,000 seats a year, Expliseat says it is “well positioned to support the next phase of its international growth, having already demonstrated its industrial scalability by delivering over 2,600 seats per month at the end of last year.” The new agreements bring the company’s backlog to “more than 200 aircraft.”

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Featured image credited to Expliseat