Acro Aircraft Seating enjoys continued growth.

Thursday 12th September 2013

Redhill, Surrey-based passenger aircraft seat manufacturer Acro Aircraft Seating is enjoying considerable growth following a number of major contract wins and continued demand for its ergonomically designed seats. Earlier this month, Acro reported contracts secured with Mango Airlines of South Africa to complete eight 737-800 aircraft and to completely refurbish the full fleet of 26 Fokker F70 regional jets for KLM's Cityhopper service KLC, in deals worth collectively an estimated £5M. The two latest contracts follow a hugely successful 2013 for Acro now flying with around 20 airlines and 11 different aircraft types.

The company, which began operations in 1993, moved to its larger current headquarters near London Gatwick Airport in July 2012, and has now grown to over 50 employees today.  Fuelled by the airlines' need for a fast moving supplier providing lightweight economy seats with increased comfort and the maximum legroom, Acro's seats have been hugely popular amongst leisure, regional and carriers driving efficient operations. By the year end Acro will have 20,000 seats flying, and with firm orders into Q4 2014, it expects to double this number and capacity within another 18 months.

Chris Poland, Operations Director, Acro Aircraft Seating said: "Through applying our philosophy we've captured a niche market in lightweight economy class seats particularly in the single-aisle aircraft category, but we are now noting interest from operators of larger twin aisle aircraft such as Airbus A330 and Boeing 767's and 747. To support this wider range of aircraft, we need to focus on attracting the best quality team and build on our existing success. The company is now actively recruiting for a wide range of roles from untrained production staff who receive full in house training through to experienced staff working across a range of disciplines. Acro is a dynamic company and offers excellent opportunities for new talent but we will only continue on our growth path with the right people in place. As our order book continues to grow, we anticipate that Acro will have a team of 120 by 2015."

20-year old established Acro 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 at the moment.  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