Air Dolomiti has selected Geven’s ‘Essenza’ seat model for its retrofit programme on 15 Embraer aircraft.

Italian airline Air Dolomiti is part of the Lufthansa Group. The economy class seat Essenza was the first seat to be selected for equipping aircraft across the different airlines of Lufthansa Group.

The seats on Air Dolomiti will feature exclusive and dedicated trim and finish in accordance with the airline’s design scheme, with blue and turquoise eco leather dress covers, high literature pocket, a recline up to 3” and an ergonomic seat cushion.

The Essenza RJ will be delivered in 15 shipsets on Embraer 195 aircrafts. Seats will be installed starting December 2021 with completion expected in March 2022. The first aircraft retrofitted is expected to fly in January 2022.

“I am very proud to announce our partnership with Geven today: I had the opportunity to visit Geven’s Headquarters in Naples and was impressed by the modern and innovative structure of their sites,” said Air Dolomiti’s CEO and director general operations & accountable manager Alberto Casamatti.

“Their attention to high quality standards, the continuous research for the improvement and technological development of products, makes this Italian company a jewel of the sector. We share the roots of companies born from the passions of strongly business-oriented families, who have pursued a dream by making it come true, aiming for growth and continuous improvement.”

Air Dolomiti’s vice president technical operations Marzio Caneva commented: “The new Essenza RJ, in addition to being more comfortable, are the result of innovative projects, have a design which will allow us to increase the number of seats of our aircraft while keeping unchanged passenger comfort and will give our cabin a more pleasant and relaxing atmosphere thanks to the colours, materials and above all the high quality which is an essential feature for Air Dolomiti.

“In addition the lower weight of Essenza RJ will allow to reduce fuel consumption with a benefit on costs and environmental impact. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teams who have carried out this project with determination and excellent integration with Geven’s team despite the difficult times.”

Essenza RJ also incorporates two innovations in its main structure on the backrest and the bottom cushion. The backrest is made of a single piece carbon fibre with both structural and aesthetical functions. Thanks to this special design, no additional fairing or plastic shrouds are necessary and only the foam and the cover are added, resulting in a lower number of parts to be managed and reduced weight to be carried, Geven said.

The same philosophy has inspired the bottom cushion that is installed directly on the seat beams via velcro and performs both structural and comfort functions allowing easy inspection and maintenance activities, the company added.