Altitude scales new heights with lucrative Boeing deal

Air New Zealand design and engineering company Altitude has won a multimillion-dollar contract to design customised furniture for 20 new Boeing 747-8 aircraft.

The aircraft will be delivered to a major Northern Hemisphere airline between next year and 2013, with options available to double the size of the deal.

Altitude has its design base in Christchurch and is creating luxury customised drinks cabinets, stowage units and closets for the first-class cabins of the 747-8 aircraft.

Altitude, which employs 60 engineers, designers and programme management staff, said it would be looking for more workers.

It had predicted staff numbers would double in its first five years of operation.

Boeing has historically required airlines to supply their own customised interior equipment to its factories during aircraft production process.

"There are major efficiencies to be had if we assumed greater control of the customisation process as part of the aircraft's overall build," said Altitude general manager Michael Pervan.

Altitude specialises in reconfiguring and integrating interiors on commercial jet aircraft, designing customised interior products for commercial aircraft, and designing products and interiors for Boeing business and private jets.

Pervan said about 10 per cent of the world's airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa wanted customised interiors, usually in the premium cabins.

"It's a niche, but lucrative market," said Pervan, who has predicted the market could easily grow to about 50 aircraft sets of furniture a year worth tens of millions of dollars.

- NZPA, staff reporter