'It’s an incredibly exciting time for Thompson Aero Seating': innovative Portadown-based company achieves 47% year-on-year revenue increase
Portadown-based Thompson Aero Seating has reported strong growth in its financial performance following a three-year recovery and transformation plan.
According to the company’s annual report – for the year ending December 31, 2024 – filed with Companies House in May 2025, Thompson achieved a 47% year-on-year increase in revenue, alongside an operating profit of £23 million.
In addition, the company’s order book grew by £326 million, reflecting growing interest in its business-class seating products within the global aerospace market.
The financial progress comes as Thompson continues to focus on operational improvement and product innovation. The company has introduced several changes across its operating model and supply chain to strengthen delivery performance and build greater resilience in its operations.
"2024 marked the completion of a three-year recovery plan,” said Keith Anderson, CEO, Thompson Aero Seating. “We’ve delivered against our commitments, secured a strong pipeline of orders, and made tangible progress across our operations and we are now in a more stable position.
"These improvements have positioned Thompson to gain a reputation for industry-leading delivery performance and new product introduction (‘NPI’) execution with our customers and major aircraft manufacturers. It’s an incredibly exciting time as the strength of our order book means it is imperative that we continue to develop our operating model to deliver 2x growth in the coming years.”
In April 2025, Thompson launched two new seating products at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (‘AIX’) in Hamburg — VantageNOVA First, a new enhanced front-row seating solution for business-class-plus; and VantageXL+, unveiled in partnership with China Southern Airlines. Both represent key additions to the company’s premium seating portfolio.
Thompson’s £7.5 million on-site Dynamic Test Facility (‘DTF’), opened in late 2023 in Banbridge, is enabling in-house dynamic testing, accelerating product development and supporting the timely launch of new innovations in 2024 and 2025.
"We are particularly proud of our industry-leading performance in NPI. Our developing operating model and our DTF have enabled this strong performance,” added Keith Anderson.
The company continues to employ over 700 people across its Northern Ireland sites and said it remains committed to creating exciting and interesting jobs, working with world-class products and driving growth within the local manufacturing and engineering sectors.