Breaking in to the commercial aircraft seating market is hard. Doing so with a massive order for hundreds of aircraft is even more impressive. And scoring a deal with one of the more vocal and demanding airline CEOs adds another layer of pressure. For Mirus Aircraft Seating and AirAsia this all came together relatively smoothly. The Mirus Hawk seats, first announced two years ago, are now flying on three of AirAsia’s A320 aircraft with a couple hundred more yet to come.
The high-performance economy class seat – made from carbon fibre, aluminium and genuine leather upholstery – is ergonomically optimised for comfort, passenger living space and style, and is engineered for enhanced durability and reliability. The new seat is also lighter, and is expected to help AirAsia reduce fuel consumption by more than 70,000 litres and lower CO2 emissions by 200 tonnes per aircraft per year, supporting the airline’s ongoing commitment to low air fares and sustainable business practices.
Lots of great work has gone into the Hawk. Not only is this premium seat more comfortable and boasts more legroom but it also weighs less, which is good for our guests, our bottom line and the environment as well. – AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes
The first generation Hawk seat is in the air today on a handful of aircraft but Mirus and AirAsia are not resting on that early success. Improvements are coming, including in-seat USB power in partnership with IFPL and digEcor and integrated PED holders. There’s also the Hawk XL for longer flights; AirAsiaX will be putting that model in its twin-aisle aircraft.
Mirus certainly has its hands full delivering seats for its launch customer, but that doesn’t mean it is ignoring other airlines. The company is actively looking to sign other carriers, with promises of lower TCO a big part of the push. The Hawk carries fewer moving parts and a lighter overall kit than prior generations of seats while still maintaining a comfortable passenger experience. Of course, new and lighter seats are coming from many vendors, including the biggest players in the market. Aircraft seating is a terribly competitive business.
But the Hawk is now flying, which is good news for Mirus and AirAsia.
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