easyJet is today announcing an order of brand new lighter weight seats that are expected to be over 20% lighter than those used currently today while also offering up to two inches additional legroom for customers.

The next-generation Kestrel economy seats from British manufacturer Mirus Aircraft Seating will feature across easyJet’s future Airbus A320neo and A321neo fleet. The deal, which covers future aircraft deliveries from 2028, marks another positive step in easyJet’s ongoing strategy to reduce emissions and fuel burn, while improving operational efficiency.

The Kestrel is the lightest seat in its class thanks to its advanced lightweight structure, which will lead to a weight saving of up to 500kg per aircraft for larger models in easyJet’s fleet – estimated to deliver a combined annual fuel saving of over 12,936 tonnes, equivalent to over 40,513 tonnes of Co2.

Designed specifically for short-to medium-haul operations, the Kestrel seat offers industry-leading passenger space and comfort. Its ergonomic design allows passengers to enjoy improved legroom without changing seat pitch itself, while its unique pre-reclined structure enhances comfort which ensures improved knee and shin clearance for passengers.

The Kestrel seats have also been engineered with sustainability and lifecycle performance in mind. Its low part count and simplified design reduce maintenance requirements, while its robust structure ensures long-term durability in service. At end of life, the seat is approximately 98% recyclable, supporting circularity and reducing waste.

The seats have been developed and tested at Mirus’ UK-based MTEST facility, one of the largest commercial testing centres of its kind, which reduces time, cost and carbon emissions by eliminating the need to transport seats for external certification.

David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet, said:

“We are delighted to be introducing the Mirus Kestrel seat across our future fleet. This investment supports our continued focus on making our operations as efficient as possible, capitalising on small incremental gains that result in meaningful reductions in fuel burn and Co2 emissions.

“On top of the sustainability benefits, the additional legroom and enhanced comfort these seats will provide will also deliver an improved onboard experience for our customers which we know they’ll love.”

Ben McGuire, Chief Executive Officer, Mirus:

“Mirus is incredibly proud that easyJet, the UK’s largest airline and one of the world’s leading carriers, has placed its trust in us for what represents one of the largest single-model aircraft seat awards ever. This landmark agreement marks a defining moment for Mirus and reflects our shared commitment to enhancing passenger experience and comfort, while delivering sustainability and significant operational cost savings through reduced fuel burn and CO₂ emissions.”

Alongside fleet renewal, easyJet continues to focus on reducing aircraft weight through a series of practical, engineering‑led initiatives – having recently rolled out a pioneering lower‑weight paint system that’s being gradually rolled out across the fleet and removing heavy flight manuals by fully digitising them. By scrutinising every element of the aircraft and operation, easyJet is delivering incremental weight savings that reduce fuel burn and emissions to drive meaningful change.

Maximising efficiencies to lower operational impact: The seat upgrade is part of a wide range of initiatives easyJet is deploying to maximise efficiencies and combine many marginal gains into broader emissions reduction. These techniques include among others:

NEO fleet expansion: A critical component of easyJet's strategy in the near to medium term is the continuous renewal of its fleet with the latest generation of aircraft. The airline is proactively phasing out its oldest aircraft (A319 & A320ceos) and replacing them with newer, highly efficient, models from the NEO family (A320neo and A321neo). Over a quarter of the fleet is currently comprised of these new aircraft, which significantly reduces emissions and minimises fuel burn. These NEO aircraft offer substantial benefits, offering at least 13% more efficiency and reducing noise by 50%.

Sharklet upgrades: easyJet is enhancing its A320ceo fleet with advanced sharklets by summer 2026, a crucial medium-term solution developed in partnership with Airbus. Sharklets are blended winglet devices installed at the tips of the wings which significantly reduce drag by weakening wingtip vortices, leading to an annual saving of approximately 308 tonnes of fuel and 970 tonnes of Co2 per aircraft, delivering immediate and measurable reductions across the fleet.

Taxi Management Optimisation: This brings together Single‑Engine Taxiing, which cuts fuel use and carbon emissions during ground movements, with data‑driven taxi‑time calculations that ensure only the fuel needed for taxiing is loaded, reducing unnecessary weight, cost and emissions

Lighter paints: In 2025, easyJet announced the adoption of a new lower-weight paint system, which is expected to achieve fuel savings of 1,296 tonnes and CO₂ reductions of 4,095 tonnes once fully implemented across the entire fleet by 2030. easyJet is the first airline to test this paint solution developed by Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings.

APU Reduction: We have equipped all contact stands at Milan Malpensa Airport with Pre-Conditioned Air units, 16 in total. These units enable our pilots to switch the APU off for the majority of the turnaround, regardless of temperature enabling significant APU savings, with an average of 2kg of fuel and 6kg of C02 per minute.

FANS-C: We invested in Airbus‑developed FANS‑C navigation software across our A320neo and A321neo fleet, enabling aircraft and air traffic control to share precise, real‑time flight trajectory data. This improves route planning and communication, helping reduce congestion, fuel burn, emissions and delays, while supporting more punctual operations as European airspace becomes increasingly busy.

SpaceFlex upgrades: Starting 2026 easyJet is enhancing a number of its 180-seat A320ceo aircraft with SpaceFlex rear galley and lavatory arrangements, a highly space efficient cabin enabler developed by Airbus. SpaceFlex facilitates the installation of an extra row of seats on each aircraft, helping further reduce easyJet's carbon intensity per passenger with no loss of passenger comfort.

For further information, please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252 or visit mediacentre.easyjet.com

Notes to Editors

About easyJet

easyJet is one of Europe’s largest airlines offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports with great value fares and friendly service. easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 100 million passengers in 2024. The airline has over 350 aircraft flying on over 1,000 routes to more than 160 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in nine countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £17m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

In 2022, easyJet published its roadmap to net zero by 2050. The roadmap, which also features a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology, has set an ambitious interim carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 35% by 2035, validated by the Science-based targets initiative (SBTi). The airline’s ultimate aim is to fully transition its fleet to zero carbon emission technology, which it will achieve through a number of strategic partnerships including with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace Solutions. Since 2000, the airline has successfully reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third and is the number 1 ESG rated airline in Europe by Sustainalytics, MSCI and CDP.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching 30 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers. In 2023 easyJet was named by TIME as one of the World’s Best Companies and a Leader in Diversity 2024 by The Financial Times.

About Mirus Aircraft Seating

Founded in the UK in 2015, Mirus set out to challenge a highly competitive aircraft seating market by doing things differently. The company designs and manufactures some of the lightest and most sustainable aircraft seats in their class, enhancing passenger comfort while helping airlines reduce fuel burn, maintenance complexity and overall cost of ownership.

Guided by a distinctly British design philosophy, Mirus blends elegance, practicality, performance and innovation, drawing on expertise from both the aerospace and automotive sectors. Its highly customisable economy seats allow airlines to fully reflect their brand while improving the onboard experience.

The launch of MTEST, Mirus’ on-site dynamic testing facility in 2023, marked a major milestone, streamlining development and reducing the environmental impact of overseas testing. With customer support at its core and one of the most comprehensive warranty packages in the industry, Mirus continues to grow rapidly, securing landmark