Airlines have jumped into a premium business-class race, but seat safety certifications are being delayed one after another, disrupting the launch of new aircraft operations and services.
On the 28th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that airlines are rushing to introduce upscale business-class seats with privacy doors and lie-flat seats, but the prolonged safety certification process is making actual operations difficult.
A representative case is KLM of the Netherlands. KLM installed new business-class seats with privacy doors and 19-inch touchscreens on its new long-haul aircraft, but has yet to receive approval from aviation authorities. KLM plans to leave those seats empty on its first flight in September.
Similar cases are occurring at other airlines. Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines are also facing seat certification issues, and United Airlines and American Airlines are operating without being able to lock the privacy doors on their new business suites.
The certifications are being delayed because aviation authorities are verifying the impact of new seat structures on passenger safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are reviewing whether the new seat designs pose any safety problems in crash scenarios and during emergency evacuations.
FAA Administrator Brian Bedford explained that even small elements such as seat belt buckle structures or privacy door locks can affect passenger protection in a crash and emergency evacuation. In particular, he noted that the recently more common diagonal (herringbone) layouts and spacious suite-type seats can cause injuries different from those in conventional seats, requiring additional verification.
New seats must undergo crash tests that apply a force 16 times gravity, fire tests, and safety evaluations using crash test dummies. If the design is changed, the tests must be taken again, and in many cases that lengthens the certification period.
The stringent certification regime is also affecting aircraft delivery schedules. Seats are installed in the final stage of aircraft manufacturing, and with certification incomplete, there have been cases where finished aircraft could not be delivered to airlines.
Boeing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kelly Ortberg said last month, "Aircraft that are fully ready for delivery to customers are sitting idle, waiting only for seat certification."
Lufthansa introduced the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner last year but was able to sell only 4 of the 28 business-class seats. Singapore Airlines also delayed the start of operations for a retrofitted Airbus A350-900. Delta Air Lines, due to certification delays, is operating some aircraft with temporary first-class recliners instead of new lie-flat seats.
Riyadh Air, a new Saudi Arabian airline, also made partial seat design changes and launched service a year later than initially planned. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas said of the seat certification process, "You could write a Ph.D. thesis on this topic alone."