Lufthansa Technik’s ‘chair’ family of seats for VIP and business jet aircraft has completed and passed all 9g ETSO (European Technical Standard Orders) maximum payload tests required for airworthiness certification. 

The German firm revealed the news ahead of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (Ebace) in Geneva, Switzerland, which gets under way tomorrow.

Lufthansa Technik will be at the event, showing of this ground-breaking new technology along with several of its other innovations.

The test campaign for the entire family of seats has been intensive and much more complex than testing traditional “one-size-fits-all” seats, according to Lufthansa Technik, adding that 16g dynamic tests are currently ongoing and are scheduled to be completed within the next weeks. 

The first critical dynamic tests have been successfully completed. Upon successful completion of the 16g tests, all test reports will be presented to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for approval. 

It is planned that the 9g and 16g certifications will be granted in late summer 2015. 

The ‘chair’ will be available not only as ETSO equipment but also with a complete supplemental type certificate (STC) to minimise the risk and work for customers.

With ‘chair’, designers of aircraft interiors can adapt seat style, structure and functionality to the specific purposes and requirements of airline, business jet and VIP customers. 

The seating concept runs the gamut from basic office chairs to fully reclining lounge, and dining chairs, with considerable savings in space and weight.

“On board an airplane, the seats are the central interface between the passengers and the cabin,” says Andrew Muirhead, head of the Original Equipment Innovation unit at Lufthansa Technik. “For decades, seats have mostly changed only in shape and color. Today's passengers have much higher expectations at every level, from the most basic to top-of-the-line seats. They expect the comfort and convenience of an innovative cabin along with the diversity they're accustomed to from home furnishings, and more freedom of movement in the cabin.”

The ‘chair’ concept was developed in co-operation with the renowned cabin interior designer Jacques Pierrejean, founder of Pierrejean Design Studios. He describes ‘chair’ with this analogy: "This seat is my friend. It dresses differently depending on the comfort I need, the situation I'm in and the culture I'm living in. The concept of ‘chair’ gives cabin interior designers an unequaled degree of freedom."

The ‘chair’ makes it possible to rethink cabin design,” says Oliver Thomaschewski, ‘chair’ product manager. “It’s a completely new design approach intended to give designers unprecedented flexibility in choosing the perfect chair configuration and arrangement for any cabin floor plan. The ‘chair’ family concept offers thousands of configuration options."

The new seats are made in Germany in co-operation with the premium automotive supplier Dräxlmaier. All] configurations are based on a primary seat structure perfectly adapted to the human body. Seat backs in different heights and with custom-contoured ribs, customized upholstery in any desired thickness, ergonomic features in arm rests and seat backs, and a wide variety of other flexible add-on elements allow hitherto undreamed-of versatility.

With more than 30 subsidiaries and about 26,000 employees worldwide, the Lufthansa Technik Group, is one of the leading providers of services for the aviation industry. Lufthansa Technik is licensed internationally as a repair, production and development enterprise. 

The group’s portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of services in the areas of maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and conversion, engines and components.

Lufthansa Technik will be at booth T089 at Ebace, which runs from May 19 to 21 at the Palexpo centre in Geneva.