Products
Aircraft Interiors Expo: reaching new heights
April 13, 2011 By Carey Fredericks
April 13, 2011, Hamburg, Ger. - This year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo proved to be a busy show for the more than 500 exhibiting companies that showcased a wide variety of innovations and new products to entice airline buyers. More than 7,900 (*pre-ABC Audit figure) visitors attended the event.
Once again new seating concepts, across all parts of the cabin interior, and the latest in inflight entertainment and connectivity drew a significant amount of visitor attention but other areas such as new galley concepts, fabrics and flooring also got a look in.
Some of the highlights and announcements – from the luxurious to the practical or downright quirky – included:
AIM Aviation displayed the world’s first flying duty free shop which Korean Air will be using on its first 10 A380s when they enter service in June. Up to 64 individual items can be displayed and, in the event of turbulence, each of the display bottles has a strong magnet on the bottom which can withstand a 2g loading
Airbus unveiled its Space-Flex lavatory and galley concept which can enable A320-family operators to fit an extra three seats on their aircraft
The IMS Company said that its RAVE seat-centric inflight entertainment system is going to be installed on five Brussels Airlines Airbus A330s in the fourth quarter of 2011
Intelligent Avionics showed a full in-seat demonstrator of its new lightweight AURA seat-centric IFE system – the total weight of each seat-centric system comes to just 1.5kg per passenger
B/E Aerospace was demonstrating its new lightweight seat for premium cabins. Unlike electric business-class seats, the Millennium seat is all mechanical helping to ensure that the seat is lightweight and lower cost. It is suited to business or first class narrowbody cabins but would also work well as a premium economy seat for widebody aircraft
Better hygiene in aircraft lavatories beckons with wash basin manufacturer Schüschke demonstrating its automatic, non-touch waste bin lid
Lufthansa Technik is now able to offer an exercise bike for installation on aircraft. Engineers at the company took an off-the-shelf product, made by Technogym, and modified it to satisfy aviation regulations. It is now ready for certification
Katie Murphy, Event Director at Aircraft Interiors Expo, said: “The exhibition had a great buzz to it this year and we felt that, after the economic challenges faced by the industry in the last couple of years, companies have more freedom once again to invest in research and development.”
The next Aircraft Interiors Expo takes place from 27-29 March 2012 at the Hamburg Messe. For more information please visit www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com
