It’s all about maximum luxury, but Swiss’s heavy new first-class seats are disrupting the balance of aircraft. The airline now wants to install counterweights.
The new first class seats planned for 2025 at Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss are so heavy that there could be balance problems in some aircraft. Lead plates are therefore to be installed in them to correct the center of gravity.
The trend in aviation is more privacy in first and business class, said Swiss spokeswoman Meike Fuhlrott. That is why the seats are getting heavier, while the seats in economy class are getting lighter: “This difference in weight leads to a shift in the center of gravity in airplanes.” Lead plates are intended to restore balance. Airbus A333 aircraft are affected. The newspapers of the media company “CH Media” were the first to report on this.
When seats are ordered, there is initially only an estimated weight, said Fuhlrott. The exact weight is only known once everything is installed.
More weight generally means higher fuel consumption for aircraft. The spokeswoman said that balancing customer wishes, cost-effectiveness and environmental compatibility is a difficult task. Swiss wants to offer suites in first class on long-haul flights in the future, which promise guests absolute privacy.
Source: Stern
