India’s largest airline has chosen Recaro to supply economy class seats for its upcoming Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft. The German aircraft interior manufacturer will provide its award-winning BL3710 seats for 75 IndiGo airframes due for delivery from January 2023 onwards.
Dr. Mark Hiller, CEO at Recaro Aircraft Seating, said:
“Our new partnership with IndiGo demonstrates our commitment to not only building a distinct product with a sustainable lifecycle, but also our comprehensive approach to customer service. The BL3710 is an excellent product that will serve both IndiGo and its passengers for many years.”
More comfortable seats
Focused on cutting costs for most of its life, IndiGo has largely been using lightweight and then seats made by French aircraft interior company Safran. However, as the low-cost airline looks to expand its international routes, a more comfortable seat is on the cards. As Simple Flying reported in October last year, IndiGo has long been thinking about upgrading upcoming planes meant for international medium-haul routes with better seats.
IndiGo’s Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, Sanjay Kumar, said:
“As we expand our network, domestically and internationally to cater to the travel demand, the comfortable seats will be key to upgrading the customer experience onboard IndiGo.”
Of all Indian airlines, IndiGo will be the first to equip its aircraft with Recaro’s BL3710 seats. Recaro will start fitting IndiGo’s brand-new airframes with these seats from January 2023. In total, the BL3710 will be installed on 75 of IndiGo’s narrowbody aircraft, all of which will either be A320neos or A321neos.
The Indian carrier made headlines in 2019 with a massive order for 300 aircraft from the A320neo family. As of this year, IndiGo already operates 145 A320neos and 59 A321neos, with more coming in every month.
About the BL3710
Recaro launched the BL3710 seat in 2018 especially designed for the short and medium-haul market. The German company offers the seat in different configurations with several equipment options like a tablet holder, adjustable headrest with neck support, and a sliding tray table. However, from the official images sent to us by Recaro, it would appear that IndiGo has stayed true to its low-cost playbook and gone for a bare-bones approach.
IndiGo’s BL3710 seats won’t come with the adjustable headrest, nor will they have the tablet PC holder at the back. However, passengers will be treated to a more comfortable and ergonomic seat. IndiGo’s version also comes with the standard sliding tray table with a cup recess. The lower area at the back houses a storage pocket useful for keeping food items, reading material, or electronic devices at arm’s length during the flight.
The Recaro BL3710 weighs less than 10 kg (22 lbs.), making it one of the lightest options available. This will help IndiGo keep the aircraft’s empty weight on the lower side and allow it to carry more cargo within the permissible weight limits.
Have you experienced the BL3710 seats on a medium-haul route before? If yes, please share the seat configuration and your experience in the comments below.