EasyJet says its new seats will give passengers up to two inches of extra legroom, but their design means they cannot be reclined. The carrier has placed an order for Kestrel seats from UK manufacturer Mirus to be fitted in 237 new planes from 2028.
EasyJet said the seats will provide up to two inches more legroom compared with existing seats despite the pitch – the distance between two rows of seats – remaining the same. Mirus said this was possible because of the shape and thickness of the new seats.
David Morgan, easyJet’s chief operating officer, said: “We are delighted to be introducing the Mirus Kestrel seat across our future fleet.”
He said the investment helps with the company’s focus on making its operations as efficient as possible.
Carbon fibre rather than traditional plastic is used to produce the seats, allowing them to be made thinner and providing more space for the passenger behind.
EasyJet said this also means they will be more than 20% lighter than its current seats, leading to a weight saving of up to 500kg per aircraft.
This is estimated to deliver a fleet-wide annual fuel saving of more than 12,936 tonnes.
The seats have a “fixed recline” of 22 degrees and cannot be manually reclined.
Mr Morgan said capitalising on small incremental gains would result in meaningful reductions in fuel burn and CO2 emissions.
The COO added: “On top of the sustainability benefits, the additional legroom and enhanced comfort these seats will provide will also deliver an improved onboard experience for our customers which we know they’ll love.”
EasyJet’s order means Kestrel economy seats will feature across deliveries of easyJet’s future Airbus A320neo and A321neo fleet from 2028.
Mirus Chief Executive Ben McGuire said it was one of the largest single-model aircraft seat awards ever.
He said the manufacturer was committed to enhancing passenger experience and comfort, while delivering sustainability and significant operational cost savings.
Earlier this month consumer group Which? published research showing the majority of easyJet’s existing aircraft have a seat pitch of 29 inches.
The short-haul carriers with the smallest seat pitch were found to be Jet2, KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, SAS, TAP Portugal, Vueling and Wizz Air.
They all have at least some cabins with a 28-inch seat pitch, according to Which?.