UK aircraft interior refurbishment specialist Starling Aerospace has acquired the assets of former seating manufacturer Pitch Aircraft Seating Systems for an undisclosed sum, significantly expanding its capabilities.
Starling is now ramping up operations for the immediate manufacture of the PF3000 (triple) and PF2000 (double) economy seats, which are certified for the Airbus narrow-body family.
With a trimmed weight of just 10 kg and offering 3 inches of additional legroom over a standard economy seat, Starling’s lightweight seats can accommodate passengers as tall as 2m (6’5”).
Designed for high-density cabins, they offer a lower cost of ownership, high durability and commonality of spare parts.
Starling has taken delivery of more than 200 PF3000 seats, which are ready for installation, in addition to acquiring the intellectual property and patents for all designs from Pitch Aircraft Seating, which ceased trading during the pandemic,
Starling plans to launch a family of economy and premium economy configurations for single-aisle fleets, which will include all Airbus and Boeing short-haul aircraft in the coming year.
Steve Swift, co-owner and Director of Leatherhead-based Starling Aerospace, said: “Starling’s acquisition of Pitch Aircraft Seating represents a major milestone for our company, which will accelerate our growth ambitions and help take the business to the next level, in terms of manufacturing and engineering design capability.”
Coralie Wigg, co-owner and Director, added that the company had plans for expansion.
“We are already looking at options for additional factory sites in order to scale up manufacturing capacity and are having discussions with customers looking for an economy seating solution,” she said.
In response to growing demand, Starling made a secondary six-figure investment in 2025 to expand its in-house fabrication and manufacturing capabilities. This includes a twin-booth paint facility, additional CNC machinery, and a laser-guided machine tool probing and inspection system.
Photo: Starling Aerospace
Starling has plans to expand its operations.
