Acro Aircraft Seating to equip KLM Cityhopper's entire Fokker 70 fleet.

Tuesday 27th August 2013

UK-based passenger aircraft seat manufacturer Acro Aircraft Seating has announced that KLM Cityhopper (KLC) and Fokker Services have signed a contract to replace the seats on the airline's entire Fokker 70 fleet with its new Acro Ultra seats. Distinguished by its light weight and slim design of the seatback, this is the first time that KLC has ordered this particular model. The order marks an important win for Acro which includes 26 shipsets and seating for a total of 2080 passengers. Installation is already completed for the first four shipsets and completion of the order is anticipated in October, ahead of the 2013 winter schedule.

KLC selected the Acro seats in order to introduce a new Economy Comfort-zone Class on its Fokker 70 fleet, similar to its Boeing fleet in Europe. By installing the new seats, a reconfiguration of the front section of the aircraft has been made possible. Consequently, KLC passengers can then (winter 2013/2014) enjoy an extra four centimetres of legroom compared with Economy Class, whilst European Business Class passengers enjoy an extra eight centimetres in pitch.

Fokker Services, headquartered in Hoofddorp in The Netherlands partnered with Acro Ltd. to develop this new seat concept for the regional aircraft market. The Acro Ultra seats fulfill the specific requirements needed to comply with the demanding seat market, including short lead times, increased leg room, a reduction of maintenance costs and a significant weight saving of 83kg per aircraft. Cameron Allan, Director of Programme Management, Acro Aircraft Seating comments: "KLC has made a clear choice in Acro seats and we are proud to be manufacturing seats for one of the largest and most efficient European regional carriers. Our seats enable KLC to launch a new concept and offer enhanced comfort to its passengers whilst reducing maintenance costs and crucially, overall weight, which helps the airline reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions. It's a win-win situation for everybody."

Based in Redhill, Surrey, 20-year old established Acro believes that good design comes from the application of common sense, engineering rigour and practical experience of the service environment. The company designs, certifies and manufactures lightweight, robust and comfortable economy seats for regionals, legacy, low cost and traditional carriers. ACRO's seat portfolio satisfies a wide range of aircraft types and different cabin class options and has the capability to produce 1,000 seats a month.  Acro seating is flying with some 20 airlines with recent installations on Mango, KLM City Hopper, Mango and Aer Arann. Jet2.com (the launch customer in 2008) now has more than 50 aircraft with Acro seats.

www.acro.aero