When planning for an aircraft seat overhaul, there are often challenges that can pause or disrupt the refurbishment plans. Pending how many passengers the client wants to accommodate, we’ll need to look at the Layout of Passenger Accommodations (LOPA) and see what is actually feasible. It is also possible that the aircraft seat overhaul begins with an aircraft interior that is completely beyond repair. At Dretloh, we are experts in confronting these aircraft seat overhaul challenges head-on. In fact, we enjoy finding opportunities and solutions for our clients.
The Industry of Aircraft Seat Overhauls
For many years, airline companies have been choosing between in-house and contract maintenance for maintaining their aircraft interiors. This includes the use of third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) shops, and sometimes the shops of other airlines. Moving the responsibility of maintenance to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) is also a trend among the industry.
Below we will cover some of the common challenges we face when completing an aircraft seat overhaul for our clients.
Dretloh Aircraft Seat Overhaul Challenges
Seats beyond economical repair, also called “BER” – are seats that can cause problems for the aircraft seat overhaul team. These BER seats are similar to defining a “total loss” by insurance terminology. When dealing with BER seats in our industry, it usually means the repair cost is in excess of the actual replacement value of the product. Essentially, these seats are not worth a whole lot.
Example Layout of Passenger Accommodation (LOPA). Photo: Aircraft Monitor
Cabin Design and Refurbishments
The Layout of Passenger Accommodations (LOPA) is an engineering diagram that outlines the aircraft’s cabin interior. Within LOPA, the following items are strictly designated: location of passenger seating, emergency equipment, crew seats, lavatories, galleys, and exits. Sometimes, there are not enough seats in the seat configuration plan set out by LOPA. If the operator is trying to move to a specific configuration, but the seats do not meet the LOPA requirements, then the overhaul will be impossible.
Seats and Creative Solutions
Seat sizes are important to aircraft seat overhauls. For example, a 9g seat cannot be installed into a 16g-rated aircraft. In these situations, our design team at Dretloh will look for creative solutions to reconfigure or redesign the aircraft.
We can repair plastics, manufacture new thermoformed parts, and supply injection molded parts. We also have firm relationships to obtain OEM parts where required.
Time restrictions can cause a challenge. Sometimes the deadline or timeline for the completion of an aircraft seat overhaul is unrealistic in order for the delivery to take place.
We are committed to setting precise delivery dates and it is best to work with us on a realistic timeframe for your project. Contact our customer service team to start your project today.
Interested in reading more articles like this? Read more:
Dretloh Seat Overhaul Service Offerings
Tips for Aircraft Seat Refurbishment: As Told by Dretloh Aircraft Supply
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