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Staged in Hamburg between 27-29 March, Aircraft Interiors Expo 2012 provided solid evidence that the global aircraft interiors sector is in robust health, optimistic – and innovative.
A total of 7990 (pre-ABC Audit figure) visitors from 87 countries came to the Hamburg Messe to see the latest ideas and innovations from over 500 exhibitors from 30 nations. High on the agenda of many airline visitors was the need to find affordable new products and services to enhance the passenger experience. This all-important issue had been examined in detail in the conference held the day before the exhibition opened and there was a broad spectrum of solutions on display in the show halls.
Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity was very much to the fore with the Inflight Entertainment Zone covering 12% of the floor space. High profile participants included Panasonic Avionics, who in its conference session on Monday afternoon gave a revealing insight into the future of wireless onboard systems. Also catching the eye of visitors were Lufthansa Systems with its BoardConnect product offering; Intelligent Avionics presenting the latest development to its seat-centric IFE system AURA Works; and Lumexis demonstrating its WiPAX system. WiPAX, which is derived from the company’s Fiber-To-The-Screen headend server/aircraft interface system, offers the capacity to provide HDTV simultaneously over fibre to big screens in first and business class cabins while delivering full cabin wireless data to every economy passenger’s PED.
Innovations in seating concepts continue to be developed and throughout the three days a variety of new systems were unveiled. They included Recaro’s Comfort Line 5510, B/E Aerospace’s Angled Oasis Super First Class Suite, Pitch Aircraft Seating’s PF2000, Timco’s latest seat in its FeatherWeight family of products and Acro Aircraft Seating’s Superlight Ultra economy class model.
Other new advances on display included noise-cancelling interior walls, stowage bin refurbishment systems, mood lighting, galley inserts and textile applications.
Over 250 delegates attended The Cabin Innovation and Strategies for the Future Conference to listen to leading experts from the aircraft interiors industry offer their views on the hot issues of today. The subjects covered included ways of achieving differentiation from competitors while taking advantage of standardisation; inflight entertainment and connectivity; and the crucial importance of passenger experience.
John Hyde, event director at Aircraft Interiors Expo, said: ‘The mood in both the conference and the exhibition was upbeat and focused on meeting the challenges facing the industry. The inclusion of a conference in this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo offering was a big step for us, but our research had indicated clearly that both the user and supplier community wanted an event of this type. We are delighted by the level of attendance and the feedback from delegates and speakers.’
He added, ‘The introduction of the conference, combined with the co-location of Aircraft Interiors Expo with World Travel Catering & Onboard Service Expo, now provides the industry globally with a four-day focus on the passenger experience’.
The next Aircraft Interiors Expo and conference takes place from 9 – 11 April 2013 at the Hamburg Messe. For more information please visit www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
