DESIGN B R I EF
Capacity gains
The Supernova concept from AirGo Design
is intended to make private jet travel more
environmentally friendly and affordable by
fitting eight flatbed seats into a midsize jet. AirGo
thinks that this proposition could be particularly
attractive for medium-sized enterprises and
hospitality companies that want the efficiency
benefits of long-haul business jet travel, but want
their investment to go further.
“A typical executive layout in a midsize jet offers
eight seats but perhaps only four can be used as
beds,” says Alireza Yaghoubi, co-founder and chief
technology officer at AirGo Design. “With Supernova,
all eight seats can be turned into flatbeds.”
Inspired by airline business class, the seat is
modular and adaptable. “Currently, seat OEMs are
not really keen to invest in developing new products
because the market is so fragmented,” says Yaghoubi.
“Why not use a business-class style seat on private
jets? We start with a modular design for the seat
that can accommodate different widths and features.
We will use as many similar parts as possible to
reduce the cost of development and manufacturing.”
The seat also makes use of a microfibre composite
that AirGo has qualified for structural applications in
aircraft interiors. “The composite is especially useful
for making complex and 3D structures such as the
primary structure of the seat and tray table arms,”
says Yaghoubi. “With this technology, we can reduce
weight by 50% compared with using aluminium,
without increasing the cost significantly.”
Supernova is only a concept right now, but
Yaghoubi says the primary structure of the seat
draws similarities to the company’s full-composite
economy-class seat, while its latest development,
the Galaxy business-class seat, could also lend a
few elements to the project.
“The most challenging part is the engineering
development and certification,” says Yaghoubi. “It is
a costly process and given the fact that the numbers
are far smaller in the business jet world than in
commercial aviation, it is always a question whether
the product would be successful enough to pay for
itself. Also, we are introducing a totally new approach
here with a greater focus on the environment and
practicality rather than pure luxury.”
AirGo is looking to work with private aircraft OEMs,
seat manufacturers and cabin modification experts
to develop Supernova further.
012 businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
APRIL 2020
FLEXIBILITY
The concept could be adapted for
various aircraft types, as long as the
cabin width is 6ft (1.83m) or more,
but it especially targets those that
fly longer than five hours.
/businessjetinteriorsinternational.com