26 AIRLINER WORLD JUNE 2018News Review • AIX Hamburg
FIRMLY PINNED to April in the aviation
calendar, Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) is
probably the largest airline industry
event that doesn’t actually feature
an adjacent static display of aircraft.
Spread over seven sizeable halls (four
of which also have an upper level) of
Hamburg’s Messe Halle, this year’s
offering – held between April 10-12- showcased the latest and greatest
innovations, technology and products
for cabin interiors.
Living up to the pre-show hype,
announcements came thick and fast
during the event. Zodiac Aerospace
and Airbus sprang the big opening day
surprise, unveiling a deal to develop
lower-deck modules with passenger
sleeping berths for A330 aircraft and
possibly the A350 XWB. These
modules are being designed to be
easily interchangeable with regular
cargo containers, even to the point of
having the capability to be switched
during a regular turnaround. No modi-
fications to the aircraft’s cargo floor and
cargo loading system will be required.
The big deals for the big players were
led by Italy’s Geven with the largest
single order in its history as Hungarian
carrier Wizz Air signed for 110 shipsets
of the new Essenza economy-class seat
for its incoming A321neos. The product
was also chosen by Lufthansa Group
for 93 new A320neo/A321neo aircraft
on order for its hub airlines Austrian,
Lufthansa and Swiss (which will receive
the first in early 2019).
Mexico’s Interjet will also use the
Essenza on 35 new A320neos from
May 2019, this reclining version featur-
ing a more cushioned seat, multiway
padded headrest, USB, in-seat power
supply and “a very generous pitch”.
Recaro Aircraft Seating also secured
several major commitments, reaching
an agreement to furnish all three
classes on China Southern Airlines’
Bernie Baldwin rounds up the many highlights of ths year's Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
Hamburg Happenings
major announcements during the show.
Panasonic Avionics revealed a deal
with Egyptair to provide its eX3 system
for six 787-9 Dreamliners. Along with
inflight connectivity throughout, each
business class seat will feature an 18in
(45.7cm) screen, a video touch handset,
a USB jack for high power in-seat
charging and a noise cancelling audio
jack. Economy class seats will feature a
12in (30.5cm) screen and shared access
to power outlets.
Panasonic was also selected by Turkish
Airlines for line-fit installation of the
X-Series IFEC system on the 25 787-9s
and 25 A350-900s the airline has on
order, with options for a further ten
systems. The first aircraft is due to be
delivered in June 2019.
Away from ‘hard’ IFEC equipment,
Panasonic launched an airline onboard
loyalty platform, NEXT Loyalty, which
comprises a suite of solutions to
personalise each passenger’s inflight
experience and let airlines extend their
loyalty programmes. Passengers will
be able to log in using the airline’s
chosen credentials, or pair their mobile
device via the carrier’s app. Customers
will then be able to use features such
as resuming unfinished movies from
previous flights, receiving tailored rec-
ommendations or accessing exclusive
content and offers related to their loy-
alty programme status. NEXT Loyalty’s
launch customer is Singapore Airlines.
Elsewhere, Global Eagle Entertainment
(GEE) launched Airconnect Go, a wire-
less IFE all-in-one portable video-on-
demand solution. Identifying a strong
market among regional airlines, the
firm noted the unit does not require
installation (and thus no Supplemental
Type Certificate) and can be accommo-
dated in the overhead bin of most
commercial aircraft types.
A similar product was on display in AIX’s
new Passenger Technology Solutionsnew A350-900s. The order covers the
CL6710 for business class (a first on
the A350 for this seat), the PL3530 for
premium economy and the CL3710 for
economy class.
The manufacturer also received three
orders from low-fare airlines. Peach
has chosen the SL3510 for 14 A320ceo/
neo aircraft, the 19.8lb (9kg) seat’s first
use in Japan. Meanwhile SpiceJet
ordered almost 10,000 BL3530Smart
economy seats – featuring a six-way
headrest – for its 50 Boeing 737 MAXs.Additionally, Recaro also announced
it has begun fitting WOW air’s Airbus
fleet with CL4400 business class
seats as part of a retrofit programme.
Recaro Customer Service gave the
seats new covers, a modification which
it approved by virtue of its Design
Organisation Approval (DOA)
certification.That’s Entertainment
Inflight entertainment and connectivity
(IFEC) companies also made someThis year's Aircraft
Interiors Expo was
held at Hamburg's
Messe Halle between
April 10-12.