Turkey manufactures first local plane seat

ISTANBUL

AA Photo

Turkey took another step towards its much-anticipated dream of localizing its aviation sector, with the production of the first indigenous plane seat by a company partnered with the nation’s flagship carrier Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines, Turkish Technic and Assan Hanil, have partnered up to create Turkish Seat Industries (TSI) in a $5 million project to design and build the first locally produced airline seat. The first aircraft equipped with the new seats is a Turkish Airlines B737-800 and was unveiled at a presentation hosted by Turkish Airlines at Atatürk Airport on Feb. 17.

“The TSI’s basic vision is to deliver the best solutions in terms of comfort, aesthetics, safety and logistics in the aircraft passenger seat industry. This partnership has now produced its first result. It is a great honor for us to present to you today the first aircraft outfitted with the new seats,” said Turkish Airlines Chairman Hamdi Topçu.

With the design concept having begun in September 2011 at its İzmit facility, the company carried out the entire aircraft seat design and development process in Turkey, including automation and software, a press statement released by the initiative has said.

As a result of approximately three years of meticulous studies, the TSI began the mass production of the initial aircraft seat model designed to bring new levels of passenger comfort.

The seats will initially be used on the airline’s B737-800s and then be installed on the Airbus single-aisle fleet of A319s, A320s and A321s.

The initial annual production rate of 10,000 units will be increased to 50,000 by 2024.