Boeing has established a joint venture (JV) with global automotive seating solution provider Adient to develop, build and sell a new range of seating products to airlines and aircraft leasing companies.

The Adient Aerospace JV will have its operational headquarters, technology centre and an initial production plant in Kaiserslautern near Frankfurt, Germany.

The company will also have a customer service centre in Seattle, Washington, US.

“Seats have been a persistent challenge for our customers, the industry and Boeing, and we are taking action to help address constraints in the market.”

Boeing’s fully owned subsidiary Aviall will be exclusively engaged in aftermarket spare parts distribution of Adient Aerospace.

Adient owns a 50.01% stake in the JV, while the remaining stake is controlled by Boeing.

The new seating products to be developed by Adient Aerospace will be used to equip new aircraft and as retrofit configurations on Boeing planes and other commercial aircraft.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes supply chain management, finance and business operations senior vice-president Kevin Schemm said: “Seats have been a persistent challenge for our customers, the industry and Boeing, and we are taking action to help address constraints in the market.

“Adient Aerospace will leverage Boeing’s industry leadership and deep understanding of customer needs and technical requirements to provide a superior seating product for airlines and passengers around the world.”

The JV is set to support the vertical integration strategy of Boeing to develop in-house capabilities and depth in key areas to offer better products and grow services.

According to industry analysts’ predictions, the commercial aircraft seating market is estimated to grow from $4.5bn last year to $6bn by 2026.