What Zodiac Aerospace does

Zodiac Aerospace, founded in 1896 and headquartered in Plaisir, France, was a world-leading aerospace equipment manufacturer serving commercial, regional, and business aircraft programs. Its core products spanned commercial aircraft seating (with approximately 18% global market share, competing alongside RECARO at 22% to form over 40% combined), LED-based aircraft cabin lighting, in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems, and emergency liferaft equipment. Customers were principally aircraft OEMs operating across global programs, with revenue tied to type-certified platforms and recurring aftermarket spares.

The company was acquired by Safran in 2018 and now operates as part of Safran's portfolio of aerospace equipment companies (subsequently branded within Safran Seats and Safran Cabin). Prior to the acquisition, Zodiac pursued an active M&A strategy spanning 2008–2014, acquiring firms in ducting, IFE, in-flight innovations, and complementary aerospace specialties. Following integration, Safran has signaled a planned divestiture of approximately 30% of former Zodiac interiors activities, contingent on operational performance recovery. The business is no longer independently traded (former OTCQB: ZODFY) and operates under Safran with 10,000+ employees and a global footprint across Europe, North America, and additional regions.

Name

Zodiac Aerospace

Legal name

Zodiac Aerospace

Website

https://zodiacaerospace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Zodiac Aerospace, founded 1896 in Plaisir, France, manufactured aircraft interiors including commercial seating (~18% global share), cabin lighting, in-flight entertainment, and liferaft systems for commercial, regional, and business aircraft OEMs, and now operates as Safran Seats following Safran's 2018 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Equipment and Cabin Systems

NAICS

Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Interior Materials & Components (Cabin) (IMABANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rotorcraft Cabin Interiors & Mission Equipment (IMABABAJ)

Keywords

• Aerospace equipment
• Aircraft seating
• Cabin systems
• In-flight entertainment
• Aviation safety equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Plaisir

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Zodiac Aerospace designs, manufactures, and supplies aerospace equipment and cabin systems for commercial and business aviation. Its core product lines include aircraft seating (with approximately 18% of the global commercial aircraft seating market), cabin lighting, in-flight entertainment systems, and liferafts. These offerings are sold primarily to aircraft manufacturers (OEMs) and airline operators on a program/platform basis.

Product overview

Zodiac Aerospace, now integrated into Safran following Safran's 2018 acquisition, was a major aerospace equipment manufacturer specializing in aircraft interiors, seating systems, and cabin equipment. The company held approximately 18% of the global commercial aircraft seating market, competing with RECARO (22% share) and other players. Zodiac Aerospace products included aircraft seats, cabin lighting systems, emergency evacuation equipment, and in-flight entertainment systems. The former Zodiac Aerospace activities (approximately 30% of acquired operations) primarily focused on aircraft interiors, with Safran Seats continuing to operate in this space.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aircraft Seating Commercial aircraft passenger seating for commercial and business aviation operators and OEMs; Zodiac holds approximately 18% of the global commercial aircraft seating market.
• Cabin Lighting Systems Aircraft cabin lighting systems integrated into commercial and business aircraft interiors.
• In-Flight Entertainment Systems In-flight entertainment (IFE) systems for commercial and business aviation cabins.
• Liferafts and Aviation Safety Equipment Aircraft liferafts and related aviation safety equipment sold to commercial and business aviation operators.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• HAECO Cabin Solutions: HAECO provides aircraft cabin completion, modification, and seat refurbishment services, overlapping with Zodiac's aftermarket cabin business particularly in VIP and airline retrofit programs.

Direct peers

• Geven S.p.A. Geven is an Italian aircraft seat manufacturer supplying economy, business, and first-class seats to airlines and OEMs, directly competing with Zodiac/RECARO for line-fit and refurbishment programs.
• Panasonic Avionics: Panasonic Avionics is one of the named in-flight entertainment and connectivity players competing alongside Zodiac's IFE offerings for airline content and connectivity contracts.
• STELIA Aerospace: STELIA Aerospace (an Airbus subsidiary) manufactures premium and economy-class aircraft seats and aerostructures, competing with Zodiac for both airline premium-cabin contracts and OEM platform content.
• Diehl Aviation: Diehl Aviation is a major German Tier-1 cabin-interior supplier producing aircraft galleys, lavatories, cabin lighting, and crew rest compartments, competing with Zodiac's cabin equipment portfolio on the same Airbus and Boeing platforms.
• Safran Seats: Safran Seats is the renamed successor brand to Zodiac Aerospace's seating business following the 2018 acquisition, making it effectively the same operating entity rather than a separate peer — listed here for completeness as the direct in-house comparator.
• RECARO Aircraft Seating: RECARO is the direct head-to-head competitor of Zodiac in commercial aircraft seating, holding approximately 22% of the global market versus Zodiac's 18%. It serves the same airline and OEM customers with economy, business, and premium-class seats built around lightweight composites.
• Survitec Group: Survitec is explicitly named alongside Zodiac in the liferaft systems market, supplying emergency evacuation equipment for commercial aircraft and competing for the same airline safety-retrofit contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Collins Aerospace: Collins Aerospace (RTX subsidiary) is a broad incumbent supplying IFE, cabin lighting, seats, and avionics across commercial, business, and military aviation, overlapping with Zodiac across multiple cabin content categories.
• Thales Group (Avionics): Thales is a broad incumbent in aerospace and a named competitor alongside Zodiac in the in-flight entertainment market, while also supplying avionics and air traffic management solutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zodiacaero
• Facebookfacebook.com/zodiacaero
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/7749

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A13 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zodiac Aerospace