How airline seats became key tech products

Perhaps surprisingly, just under one third of the world’s aircraft seats are manufactured in Northern Ireland, according to Invest NI, an economic development agency. Thompson, which was bought by a Chinese company in 2016, is one of a few businesses in the region that specialise in this trade. The firm currently churns out roughly 1,500 seats per year.

Another major Northern Ireland-based supplier of seats is Collins Aerospace, in Kilkeel. There is also Alice Blue Aero, in Craigavon.

One of the largest seat manufacturing companies worldwide is Safran. It has facilities on six continents.

But, thanks to the pandemic, demand for aircraft seats has flip-flopped dramatically of late. When Covid-19 emerged, the aerospace manufacturing industry slowed to a crawl. Globally, companies laid off thousands of workers. Thompson, for one, cut its own workforce in half, and has faced financial losses running to many millions.

The world has at last opened up again, but seat manufacturers have not been able to find all the skilled workers they need, meaning that demand, globally speaking, is outstripping supply. It is a “very difficult situation”, Airbus’ chief executive said in June, referring to the slow supply of seats and other cabin parts.

“The industry lost that expertise, both in terms of direct, hands-on manufacturing, but also in terms of teaching younger people how to do the job,” explains Nick Cunningham, an analyst at Agency Partners who tracks the fortunes of another seat maker, Safran.

One of the problems, he adds, is that seat makers are finding it hard to get their seats tested and certified quickly by third-parties, since they are also facing labour shortages.