For those looking forward to the Thai Airways Airbus A321neo aircraft that are coming soon, there’s some good news: the airline is choosing to line-fit Recaro R3 seats.
The R3 seat revealed at the THAI Airways “New World of Tomorrow” launch.
The line-fit program includes 32 shipsets of the award-winning, long-range R3 Economy Class seat, with the first shipset delivery scheduled in Q4 of 2025.
For Thai Airways, the Recaro R3 is shown off with customised dress covers in a vibrant purple. The design reflects Thailand’s cultural richness and modern elegance through an intricate stitching pattern inspired by elements of the THAI logo, creating a subtle tufting on the backrest.
Recaro R3 unveiled with Recaro and Thai staff – Image, Recaro Aircraft Seating.
To incorporate additional motifs, the beige, 6-way adjustable headrest features the debossed signature THAI logo. Seat production is currently underway at the RECARO facility in Poland, featuring an in-house, cut-to-dress team responsible for the bespoke backrest stitching.
Other features included with the R3 are the standard tray table with stand, cup holder, literature pocket, and additional amenity pocket for extra passenger comfort.
To enhance convenience for passengers and crew, the patented steward step and baggage bar combination facilitates easier access to overhead bins. Each of these seating features has been established to increase comfort and functionality, ensuring a superior travel experience.
The seats will be fitted with a screen too, and free in-flight connectivity will be available for THAI Royal Orchid members as part of the A321neo rollout
In Quotes
Irene Tan, General Manager of RECARO Asia Pacific.
“We are honored to be part of the Thai Airways 65th Anniversary celebrations with “THE NEW WORLDS OF TOMORROW” special launch event held in Bangkok. As a partner of Thai Airways since 2001, we are proud to support Thai Airways’ vision and continued commitment to elevate passenger experience while embracing innovation and Thai hospitality, through the introduction of the award-winning R3 seats to their A321neo fleet,”
As we approach this significant milestone, I would like to congratulate the teams on their outstanding collaboration. Together, we have established a greater focus on passenger comfort and have set a positive trajectory for future partnerships.”
Mark Hiller, CEO of RECARO Aircraft Seating and RECARO Holding.
“The incorporation of the R3 sets a robust foundation for enhancing the passenger experience and elevating Thai Airways’ fleet to the next-level as Thai Airways ushers in an exciting new chapter marking its 65th anniversary,” s
“This partnership with Thai Airways, culminating in the award-winning R3, marks a proud moment for our teams. Congratulations on reaching this outstanding milestone.”
A Premium option for a short to medium-haul mission
Typically, the R3 is used for long-haul missions. We’ve seen it deployed so far at Iberia and Aer Lingus as part of their A321XLR deployments. So, seeing it aboard a more normal A321neo (as opposed to the R2 or R1) shows that Thai Airways is planning to offer an enhanced product for its shorter missions, which it will fly.
Considering that Thai selected the Thomson Aero Seating Vantage seat (with another 32 shipsets to go in these inbound aircraft), its clear that these aircraft are tartgetign a much higher-end service, compared to the all-economy products in the past of Thai Smile in the past.
With a range of 3,500 nautical miles upwards (depending on the configuration), it will be down to how densely these seats will be installed in the A321neo that will set the final comfort levels.
But considering that Thai Airways is going for a very premium product, this should be an aircraft to look out for when travelling.
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