TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 25, 2026--
Salient Motion, an aerospace component supplier, today announced a partnership with Italian aircraft cabin interiors leader Aviointeriors to provide Seat Actuation Control Systems for the Allegra and Allegra HD business class seating programs.
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The partnership will expand the Allegra seating family’s reach by introducing a qualification-ready seat actuation alternative in roughly one year. Using Salient Motion’s rapid certification process, Aviointeriors can offer airlines greater supplier choice and faster access to certified systems across major aircraft platforms, reducing development risk and providing a modern alternative to legacy actuation solutions.
The Allegra platform—spanning Allegra, Allegra HD, and Allegra Plus—is Aviointeriors’ next-generation Business Class seating line for wide-body and narrow-body aircraft. The fully lie-flat configurations offer generous personal space, customizable branding options, and available features such as wireless charging, lumbar support, massage, and climate control. The platform can be installed across multiple aircraft types and cabin configurations. Allegra Plus optimizes cabin space while integrating with the Allegra seats behind it, eliminating the need for a physical class divider. Allegra is included in the Airbus A330 catalogue and will also be installed on the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A321, extending the platform across narrow-body fleets.
A New Economic Model: Dismantling Barriers to Innovation
The seat actuation system market is experiencing sustained growth as airlines invest in premium cabin upgrades and expanded lie-flat seating offerings. However, the supply base remains highly concentrated, with a limited number of legacy suppliers relying on bespoke designs, long development cycles, and high non-recurring costs. These constraints have made it increasingly difficult for seat manufacturers, airlines, and airframers to introduce new seating solutions on realistic timelines.
The challenge extends beyond airlines to airframers themselves. At a Barclays industry conference last year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company has 787 Dreamliners, a twin-aisle jetliner used on some of the world’s longest flights, on the ground at its South Carolina factory “that are held up for delivery for the seats. … It’s getting the seats certified, and it’s not actually the butt part of the seat. … These are pretty complex systems, and getting those certified has taken both the seat suppliers and us longer than anticipated.”
“We saw a structural issue emerging in the aircraft interiors market—one where innovation was being slowed by long certification timelines and limited supplier choice,” said Vishaal Mali, CEO of Salient Motion. “That was the signal for us to put our engineers to work. In under a year, we took a seat actuation concept from a napkin sketch to a qualification-ready system. This partnership with Aviointeriors demonstrates what’s possible when modular design and software-driven development are applied to one of the most constrained categories in aerospace. And this is just the beginning of what we believe the industry will ultimately demand from its suppliers.”
“Integrating new actuation systems typically means complex certification processes and extended timelines,” said Christian Battisti, Sales & Marketing Director at Aviointeriors. “What impressed us most was the speed and maturity with which this solution evolved, from concept to a qualification-ready system in less than a year. From a seat supplier’s perspective, having access to a modular, software-driven actuation platform represents a meaningful step forward. It enables greater flexibility in seat design, simplifies integration across different programs, and supports faster time-to-market while maintaining the highest standards of safety and reliability.”
The system’s software-defined architecture enables diagnostics and predictive maintenance capabilities, helping operators improve reliability and reduce in-service disruptions over the life of the seat. Salient Motion will provide ongoing engineering support to ensure airworthiness compliance, delivering a complete Seat Control Actuation System kit—including power supply units, actuators, harnessing, and embedded software—designed to meet the rigorous requirements of both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.
For more information about Salient Motion and its modular actuation technologies, visit salientmotion.com.
About Salient Motion
Founded in 2022, Salient Motion is an aerospace technology company developing modular, software-driven motion control systems that power critical actuation and power electronics across commercial and defense platforms. Its mission is to modernize aerospace manufacturing by reducing certification barriers, increasing reliability and enabling faster deployment of advanced technologies. Learn more at salientmotion.com.
About Aviointeriors
Aviointeriors has been producing aircraft cabin interiors and passenger seats for over 40 years, designing, certifying, manufacturing and delivering high-quality products to leading airlines, premium operators and the world’s aircraft manufacturers. Learn more at aviointeriors.it.
FAQs
What is the focus of the Salient Motion and Aviointeriors partnership?
The partnership focuses on delivering a modular, software-defined Seat Actuation Control System (SACS) for Aviointeriors’ Allegra and Allegra HD business class seating platforms. The goal is to reduce costs, accelerate certification and modernize the development of aircraft seating motion systems.
What makes Salient Motion different from legacy suppliers?
Salient Motion replaces single-use analog hardware with a reconfigurable software stack. This enables rapid updates and certification within months, rather than years, compared with legacy suppliers that rely on bespoke designs and high upfront fees.
How does this partnership benefit airline customers directly?
By shortening certification timelines, airlines can deploy upgraded, modern seating configurations significantly faster than before. The software-defined nature of the system also allows for easier updates and maintenance, ensuring consistent reliability and a premium flight experience.
Salient Motion partners with Aviointeriors to provide Seat Actuation Control Systems for the Allegra and Allegra HD business class seating programs. From left to right: Troy Thompson, Head of Commercialization at Salient Motion, Adolfo Fratini, CEO of Aviointeriors, Christian Battisti, Director, Sales & Marketing at Aviointeriors, and Vishaal Mali, CEO and founder of Salient Motion.
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President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
