Irish-flag carrier Aer Lingus has just taken delivery of the first two of six Airbus A321XLR long-haul aircraft - complete with special new luxury seating designed and manufactured in Portadown.
The revolutionary new extra long range narrow-body aircraft is configured with Thompson Aero Seating’s stunning Vantage business-class seats on board.
Until recently, long-haul flights have been the domain of twin-aisle, wide-body aircraft.
But the A321XLR introduces the possibility of flying up to 11 hours on more sustainable, more efficient, single-aisle narrow-body aircraft.
And with the possibility of so much time spent sitting in the cabin, Aer Lingus foresaw a need to provide seats designed for ultimate relaxation and comfort, so chose Portadown-based Thompson to provide its renowned Vantage seats, which offer incredible comfort, privacy and luxury, including transforming into fully flat beds.
Thompson worked closely with Aer Lingus and London-based design house Factorydesign to create and customise the perfect seat that will appeal to passengers through the provision of a bold look that embodies the airline’s dynamic brand.
Philip Howe, head of sales & commercial at Thompson Aero Seating, said: “We’re delighted to see our County Armagh-designed, certified and manufactured seats taking pride of place on the newest aircraft within the fleet of the Irish flag-carrier.”
Over the coming months, Thompson will deliver 16 luxury business-class seats for each of Aer Lingus’ A321XLR aircraft.
The seats are arranged in a configuration that provides rows where passengers can sit as couples, and with rows of ‘throne’ seats, where passengers can sit royally by themselves.
In their flat position, the seats offer a bed-length of at least 6 feet 7 inches and a width of 22.2 inches.
Mr Howe added: “We’ve worked with Aer Lingus for over a decade and are currently the sole supplier of all its business-class seats.
“This exciting new project has given us the opportunity to further cement the relationship, which is great for Thompson, Aer Lingus, and for Northern Ireland.”
Thompson Aero Seating - which has a customer base featuring many of the world’s top airlines including Delta, China Eastern and Singapore Airlines - launched a new £7.5 million dynamic test facility in Banbridge in October 2023 which it said would give the business a huge competitive advantage in the airline industry.
During 2023 revenues at Thompson soared from £86 million to more than £115 million as it slashed a £37m previous-year loss to just £8m.
