Commercial Aircraft Cabin Seating - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts 2017 - 2030

Key Highlights

• Largest Market by Aircraft Type - Narrowbody : A fleet of narrowbody aircraft adds flexibility in terms of fleet management and helps reduce airlines' operating costs, thereby resulting in its rapid adoption. The demand for premium economy seats in low-cost carriers has increased.
• Fastest-Growing Market by Aircraft Type - Widebody : The introduction of new routes globally is boosting the widebody segment, with the airlines focusing on improving passenger comfort and amenities on long-haul flights.
• Largest Market by Cabin Class - Business and First Class : The growing per capita income in developing countries and the increasing number of business-class seats have boosted the category's growth.
• Largest Market by Region - North America : The growing passenger aviation sector and the airline companies' fleet replacement plans have boosted the growth of the North American aircraft cabin seating market.

Commercial Aircraft Seating Market Trends

Narrowbody is the largest Aircraft Type

• An enhanced seating structure with more developed space than economy-class seats is becoming highly essential due to rising preferences from travelers. The narrowbody aircraft dominated the number of deliveries, with 83% of the overall deliveries during 2017-2022. In terms of cabin class, economy and premium economy seats accounted for 93% of the overall seats of the aircraft delivered in 2022 for narrowbody aircraft and 86% for widebody aircraft.
• The overall passenger aircraft category, including narrowbody and widebody aircraft, witnessed a decline of 30% in 2020, which affected the demand for aircraft seats globally. In the narrowbody segment, the share of economy and premium economy seats globally was 94% in 2022, while their share was 86% in widebody aircraft. The surge in regional aviation has aided the economy seating category, where most seats belong to economy class.
• Aviation operators and OEMs across the world are stepping up their efforts to reduce weight and improve the comfort features in seats by implementing ergonomics. The adoption of narrowbody aircraft in the longer haul routes airlines worldwide has increased, thus aiding the deployment of aircraft seats in narrowbody aircraft. Around 10,000 aircraft are expected to be delivered between 2023 and 2029. The fleet expansion plans in the region are expected to aid the procurement of both narrowbody and widebody aircraft and drive the growth of commercial aircraft seating during the forecast period.

North America is the largest Region

• Customer experience is always the top priority for airlines. It is critical that passengers have a positive experience with travel. Thus, to provide the best experience, airlines worldwide are focusing on modernized cabin seats that provide comfort for passengers during their travel.
• The increase in passenger traffic may eventually drive new aircraft procurements and orders, thus boosting the aircraft seating market. In 2021, air passenger traffic in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East recorded 4.3 billion, which is a growth of 167% compared to 2020. As of October 2022, a total of 534 Boeing and Airbus planes were ordered by various airlines globally, such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, ANA, and Air China.
• Various major airlines across the world have started adopting lighter seats to reduce the weight of the overall aircraft and improve efficiency and utilization of cabin space. For instance, in Asia-Pacific, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are working to improve passenger experience by adopting ergonomic seat designs, individually adjustable calf rest, and privacy-featured seats. In North America, the Canadian airline Porter Airlines integrated lightweight seats in its regional aircraft. In Europe, airline seat manufacturers have started introducing seats made of titanium and carbon fiber for the higher-end classes. Such innovations to improve passenger comfort and privacy are expected to drive the global commercial aircraft cabin seating market in the future.

Commercial Aircraft Seating Industry Overview

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• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
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