Recaro Aircraft Seating’s lightweight SL3710 seat has made its North America debut on Frontier Airlines’ (Frontier) A320 aircraft on March 23, 2021.

Weighing in at 8 kilograms, the seat claims to be the lightest member in the economy class seat market and the company says it supports Frontier’s mission of being “America’s Greenest Airline.”

Frontier is slated to receive 156 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft over the next six years, which will be equipped with 186 and 240 SL3710 seats, respectively. Starting in July 2020, Recaro ramped up the customisation and certification process to ensure the first seats would begin delivery in February 2021.

“Efficiency was a tremendous driving force behind customising the seat and resulted in a 30 per cent weight reduction for each seat,” said Recaro CEO and shareholder, Mark Hiller. “This is a testament to what can happen if we work together towards sustainable goals, and I look forward to partnering with Frontier Airlines on other similar efforts in the future.”

It claims that the combination of an ergonomic seat design and durable materials delivers a comfortable and efficient SL3710 economy class seat. Revamped armrests, spacious tray tables and adaptable backrest concept provide passengers of all sizes with a comfortable flight experience. The optimised components of the SL3710 seat requires 50 per cent less maintenance for airlines. In addition, the lightweight materials and seat coverings created with recycled leather reduce fuel consumption costs and minimise an aircraft’s carbon footprint.

“This new aircraft, the first to feature the new Recaro seats, represents a significant milestone for our company,” added Frontier Airlines’ CEO,  Barry Biffle. “We are in continuous pursuit of leading-edge strategies to reduce our environmental footprint and, at the same time, reduce fuel costs, which enables us to pass savings on to consumers in the form of lower fares. We thank our partners at Recaro for working with us to achieve this innovative design.”

Colorado-based Frontier Airlines operates more than 100 A320 family aircraft and reportedly has the largest A320neo fleet in the United States serving approximately 100 destinations in North America.

This order is a part of a larger award between Recaro and Indigo Partners, which consists of 100,000 seats being delivered to Frontier, Wizz Air, Volaris, JetSmart and enerjet.