A CHINESE company is squeezing itself into a gap in the market for aircraft seats — a low-key effort but one that may earn it a key role in global supply chains.

Bottlenecks in the supply of seats have disrupted jetliner production and created a major headache for Western planemakers in recent years, as manufacturers struggled to keep up with booming air traffic and growing demand for customized cabin features.

Consolidation has already reshaped the market; first B/E Aerospace became part of U.S. business Rockwell Collins, then France’s Zodiac Aerospace lost a bid to stay independent and got taken over by Safran.

Now China is trying to secure its place in the new landscape.

“It’s a big opportunity,” said Wu Si, a sales manager at Jiatai Aircraft Equipment Co., a subsidiary of state aerospace giant AVIC.

China’s expansion into seats reflects an ambition to build its position as a broad supplier to foreign planemakers while deepening the skills and post-sales experience needed to develop its own aircraft industry, analysts said.

Jiatai has been in the seats business since 1995, mainly supplying China-made aircraft like the Xian MA60 turboprop. It also equips the recently introduced ARJ21 regional jet.

But it is speeding up its exposure to foreign markets, encouraged by Airbus and Boeing, who are still smarting from delays caused by a production crisis at Zodiac and are working to smooth seat supply.

Last month, Xinhua reported that Airbus had delivered an A320 equipped with Jiatai seats for the first time.

And Boeing said it had recently added Jiatai’s products to the catalogue of available seats for its best-selling 737 jet. The company has fitted out at least 25 Boeing jets since 2016.

The move “continues the indirect pressure on traditional seats suppliers” including Recaro, Zodiac and B/E Aerospace, Agency Partners said in a note.

Analysts say margins are especially high on premium seats, but for now the Chinese business focuses mainly on economy seating.(SD-Agencies)