Aviation: Swiss new First Class leads to balance problem

The new First Class seats of Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss are too heavy and are causing balance problems in the airline’s planes. The airline therefore plans to install lead plates from the winter of 2025 to correct the center of gravity in the affected planes.

Swiss spokeswoman Meike Fuhlrott confirmed a similar report in the newspaper “CH Media” on Saturday upon request. There is an emerging trend in the airline industry towards more privacy in First and Business Class.

As a result, the seats there are becoming heavier compared to before. At the same time, the seats in Economy Class are becoming lighter. “This difference in weight leads to a shift in the center of gravity in airplanes,” says Fuhlrott. Because First and Business Class are generally located at the front of the plane, it becomes “nose heavy.”

Some aircraft types are particularly affected by this development – for Swiss, it is the Airbus A333. A fixed installation for weight regulation is therefore “unavoidable” in this case. Every new development brings new challenges. Initially, only a weight estimate is available, the Swiss spokesman explains. The final weight is only determined once the seats and cabin have been installed in an aircraft.

Fuhlrott dismisses the fear that distant destinations would no longer be directly accessible with the additional tax: “The accessibility of the current destination portfolio is still guaranteed.”

The new First Class concept, called “Swiss Senses”, will be introduced on Swiss aircraft from 2025. According to the Swiss website, the new suite concept with private cabins promises “absolute privacy” for passengers on long-haul flights.

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