Southwest awards Astronics in-seat power contract

Astronics has signed an agreement with Southwest Airlines to provide its Empower in-seat power system for installation on 475 Boeing 737 MAX-7 and MAX-8 aircraft. This award is part of Southwest’s recently announced cabin upgrade programme.

The airline has opted for 60W Type-C and 10.5W Type-A USB charging ports at every passenger seat, which will enable passengers to power and charge two devices simultaneously, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and other devices.

Astronics will begin delivering in the fourth quarter of 2022 for retrofit installations on Southwest Airlines’ existing MAX-8 fleet, which will begin in early 2023. The Astronics Connectivity Systems and Certification group will provide the installation design, STC certification and installation kits for the retrofit. Deliveries to Boeing for installation on new aircraft on the production line will begin in 2023.