France-based aircraft seat manufacturer Expliseat and the leading turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR has signed a buyer furnished equipment agreement for the supply of a new lightweight aircraft seats. The agreement was inked during the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg recently, ATR said in a media release.

The new seat is the world’s lightest seat weighing 4kg and allows airlines to save up to 300 kg when compared to current ATR ‘600 series’ cabin configuration. In addition, they feature only 30 parts per seat, thus reducing their maintenance costs. The seats would be available on new ATR aircraft by the end of the year.

“We are proud of having been selected as a new supplier of ATR and to bring our new and lightweight seats into the most popular regional aircraft of the market,” said Benjamin Saada, chief executive officer of Expliseat.

“The aim is to provide our operators with a broader scope of customization possibilities. The signature of this contract perfectly fits into our philosophy of continuous improvement of our aircraft, its performances and the services we bring to the 200 airlines operating ATRs worldwide,” highlighted David Brigante, ATR’s senior vice president procurement. (NA)