Immenstaad, December 17, 2021 – ZIM Aircraft Seating GmbH is ramping up engineering and production again following the pandemic-driven collapse in demand. The company is thereby preparing capacity for the start of ZP610 series production from the first quarter of 2022, in a market environment in which almost all airline cabin and retrofit programs have been rescheduled.
Deferred programs, deferred deliveries
For suppliers to the aircraft cabin, 2020 and 2021 were not primarily years of missing orders, but years of postponed dates. Airlines pushed retrofit programs, new deliveries and cabin reconfigurations back by months in order to preserve liquidity and align fleet decisions with actual demand. For ZIM, this meant that engineering work and certification preparation continued while deliveries shifted.
Ramp-up bottlenecks: supply chain, materials, certification
The restart is more demanding than the downturn. After months of standstill, supply chains do not return to series-production level at the push of a button, the availability of individual materials and components remains volatile, and certification procedures tie up capacity at a time when all market participants are ramping up simultaneously. ZIM is therefore supporting suppliers more closely than before, securing critical materials early and synchronizing certification and production planning.
Recovery begins on long-haul
The industry picture is clear: the recovery is starting on long-haul routes, and premium demand is returning faster than business travel. This is precisely the segment in which ZIM is positioned. The start of ZP610 series production from the first quarter of 2022 therefore meets a market in which airlines are expanding rather than reducing their Premium Economy capacity.
