Portadown-based aircraft seat business doubles profits

Thompson Aero Seating designs and manufactures business class seats for commercial airlines

A Portadown-based aircraft seat manufacturer has more than doubled its turnover and profits.

Thompson Aero Seating designs and manufactures business-class seats for commercial airlines.

The firm made a pre-tax profit of £11m on turnover of £105m in the year to December 2017.

That compares to a £5m profit and £52m turnover in its previous nine-month accounting period.

Staff numbers also increased sharply from 364 to 543.

Thompson has been majority owned by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China since 2016.

Expansion

Another Chinese-owned manufacturer, SDC Trailers, has reported a pre-tax profit of £6m on turnover of £122m in the nine months to December 2017.

In August, SDC announced plans to create 50 new jobs as part of a £7m expansion at its Toome factory.

The company has been owned by Shenzhen-based CIMC Vehicles since 2016.