TSI Seats' elegant economy
This is a special feature from PAX Tech's AIX Hamburg June 2022 issue, on page 28.
Suat Sağıroğlu, General Manager, TSI Seats
Airline seating manufacturers are continually on the lookout for ways to improve passenger experience and comfort while helping the airline watch its bottom line and move toward environmental sustainability. The mindset is the same for Istanbul-based TSI Seats. The company will unveil its Economy Class Milligram seat at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg this month.
TSI Seats started in 2011 when Turkish Airlines and Turkish Technic decided to design, manufacture, modify, and sell aircraft seats and spare parts. Suat Sağıroğlu, General Manager at TSI Seats, tells PAX Tech how it saw a void in the industry that could be filled by creating Milligram and why it is launching at AIX.
“AIX is the most important event for our sector and it is very exciting that the AIX will take place face-to-face this year,” says Sağıroğlu.
Slated to be ready by mid-2023 for A320 and 737 aircraft, it is the perfect time to familiarize the industry with the new Economy Class seat, he explains.
TSI Seat’s Milligram is made from carbon and aluminum, adding to its durability and maintaining its light weight
Milligram is a lightweight seat as its name suggests, and favors optimal comfort, two things that were important to TSI in its development.
“As an aircraft seat manufacturer, we know that airlines try to lighten their planes without sacrificing passenger comfort in an industry where cost-effectiveness is paramount. Reducing weight by even one gram can provide significant advantages,” says Sağıroğlu.
The most important of these advantages, he says, is that it enables airlines to operate more sustainable flights. A lighter aircraft consumes less fuel, reducing carbon emissions.
“When aircraft manufacturers are trying to produce lighter and more efficient aircraft, one of the products that can be changed inside the aircraft is the seats. At TSI Seats, being aware of this need, we have accelerated our efforts to produce lighter seats.”
TSI Seats is set to launch its Economy Class Milligram seat at the 2022 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany
A first time for everything
Milligram is made from carbon and aluminum for durability and light weight. The design and engineering team prioritized sustainable materials for all of the non-metallic components.
“We have focused on greener, more sustainable materials in Milligram’s construction,” says Sağıroğlu. “Everything from biodegradable resins, recyclable thermoplastics, and natural fibers.”
Some small, non-critical components of the seat are sourced from recycled materials now entering their second life as part of Milligram and the company partnered with ELeather for its sustainable, engineered leather for the seat cover.
Living large
“Passengers like to be comfortable on flights and often comment on an aircraft’s living space. Our new Economy Class seat will provide operational efficiency without sacrificing comfort,” says Sağıroğlu. “Passengers can feel a 31-inch pitch, even at 28-inches. Passengers can also enjoy comfort with the revolutionary backrest design and space under the seat for hand luggage.”
Milligram has a distinctive style, which lends the seat an eye-catching and compelling appearance, and airlines will have the option to retrofit current seats.
“Thanks to the use of innovative technologies, the unique design of Milligram skillfully reconciles sophisticated contouring with a high degree of comfort and living space. Through its unprecedented features, which are characterized by elegant proportions and a modern mix of materials, Milligram is a revolutionary achievement in the aircraft seating market and that makes it the next generation of economy seating,” says Sağıroğlu.
TSI Seats tells PAX Tech it will reveal more details on Milligram’s features and specs at AIX.
