Airline operators face a constant challenge to reduce weight to lower fuel consumption, with a
drive to reducing the non-paying weight that is moved every time the plane takes off. Every
kilo of non-productive weight increases fuel costs and reduces the chargeable capacity of the
aircraft. The oil burnt, and associated environmental pollution, is directly reduced for every
kilo of weight removed from the plane. The key is to minimise the Operating Empty Weight
(OEW) of each aircraft.
One of the biggest weights in an aircraft is the seating. By removing the urethane foam, and
protective aramid yarn covers from all seats in the passenger cabin, there could be a weight
reduction of up to 6 kilos per seat
Recent innovations, during the past 12 years, in the warp knitting industry, have produced
machinery capable of knitting an “Air Space” fabric which uses monofilament fibres to create
a “foam replacement” layer sandwiched between two surfaces that can be much more
decorative and/or functional. This technology has, until recently been limited to a maximum
fabric thickness of 20mm though much more widely as 2 or 3mm. The introduction of new
electronic controls on these machines allows the space between the surfaces to increase to a
maximum 65 mm, whilst also allowing long pattern repeats – potentially to seal across the
width of the fabric to create tailored pads for headrests, backrests, and seat squabs of differing
lengths and thicknesses.
Nottingham Textile Group have developed the concept of ‘Air Space’ which will offer a
solution with considerable weight reduction for aircraft seats with the potential to reduce
OEW by 1.4 to 2% yielding an additional saleable freight capacity of 1,800 kilos per flight.
This will generate substantial commercial and financial benefits to airlines, and create a
significant new revenue stream for the company.