Back to the world of aircraft seating – with Recaro announcing the first sets from its SPRINT program have been installed on a Boeing 737 aircraft for Air Lease Corporation.
Recaro BL3530 SWIFT Seat – Image, Recaro Aircraft Seating
The SPRINT programme was launched by Reacro in 2019 to develop and ship predefined BL3530 seats for lessors with a lead time of only two months.
The first shipset of the BL3530 seats under this development programme was installed at the start of March.
The SPRINT program can equip either an Airbus A320 family or Boeing 737 family with BL3530 economy class seats, which lessors can customise with one of five different predefined e-leather dress covers: light blue, dark blue, light grey, dark grey or red.
Seat aft – Image, Recaro Aircraft Seating
The programme is targeted at lessors, who need delivered seats quickly for installation – within two months.
As for the seat itself – the BL3530 is a short-medium haul mission economy class seat, deliverable in 3-3 for the missions these aircraft will fly. The seat provides a high literature pocket, a recline up to four inches, an ergonomic seat cushion, and a coat hook.
Seats in formation showing off the onboard product – Image, Recaro Aircraft Seating
In quotes
Sophie Moeller, Regional Sales Director, Customer Service at Recaro Aircraft Seating.
“The feedback we gathered from lessors reflected a clear need for seats with a shorter lead time, so we began brainstorming,”
“We first developed the SMART and SWIFT programs, which supply seats within six and four months, respectively, but it was clear that an even shorter timeframe was needed. We collaborated with program management and engineering to create a predeveloped seat that could be ordered and shipped within two months, and SPRINT was born.”
Speed is sometimes is a requirement.
Having an asset on the ground costs money – as lots of airlines are discovering at the moment. For those lessors who need to turn around an aircraft from one customer to another, having an aircraft on the ground isn’t ideal (when it needs to be in the air earning revenue and fees).
With a comparatively quick turnaround to deliver news seats, it’s an option for any lessor who needs a refreshed hard product quickly.
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These seats are absolute garbage. Jetstar uses these in Australia, there is a triangular bracket right where your knee sits. By the end of the flight it feels like someone has been pushing a screwdriver into your kneecap. Incompetent design, particularly for a well known brand like Recaro. Don’t these people ever try sitting in their designs for a moment!