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Another success for Aircraft Interiors Expo at Hamburg
By Matthias Gründer
Some 13,000 experts and interested trade visitors from all over the world took the opportunity to find out about products, services and innovations covering every aspect of cabin and onboard system technologies in the new Hamburg exhibition halls. The over 32,400m² of exhibition space was completely booked out months before the start of the trade fair, and at the end of the event the over 500 exhibitors were more than satisfied with the customer interest they had met.
This is already the sixth time that this specialist fair has been held in the venue by the River Elbe. The local component supplier association, Hanse Aerospace, had the biggest exhibition stand, and, as well as Lufthansa Technik AG, other global players from the aerospace industry were represented in the form of Airbus, Boeing and EADS. The exhibited products and services included seating and berths, textiles, lighting of all kinds, floor coverings, galleys, wash rooms and toilets, safety equipment, cooling systems, air quality products and much more besides.
To add to the attractions, the British trade show organiser, UKIP Media & Events, was offering a number of gripping presentations and conferences. Another feature was the Aircraft Electrical & Electronic Systems Expo, a “fair within the fair”, which functioned as an open forum with presentations on numerous subjects from the area of energy supply. The intended target group was engineers, technicians and purchasing managers who are responsible for power supply and distribution and electronic systems for aircraft of all types.
On the Airbus exhibition stand, a series of mock-ups enabled visitors to gain an insight into design studies conducted by the world's biggest manufacturer of passenger aircraft, the guiding theme for which was “Comfort, efficiency and service”. During the fair A380 prototype MSN007, which had flown in for 10 days of distance flights in cooperation with Lufthansa, was available to trade visitors in Finkenwerder.
Meanwhile at Boeing all the presentations were naturally focused on the cabin of the Dreamliner 787 in different equipment configurations. Here visitors, especially from the component supply industry, could obtain numerous ideas for future contributions that they might make, while the big end manufacturers in turn sent their buyers on “procurement tours” through the halls.
Carpets and seats for more comfort
A treat awaited them amongst other things at the stand of Benecke-Kaliko AG of Hanover, which was exhibiting a floor covering called Flightfloor which combines the highest quality with exceptional design. Extreme abrasion and impact resistance make the product durable, but it is the numerous design variants which are arousing the interest of the airlines. From metallising or marmorised surface effect to a textile look with a jeansy touch to it or even 3D effects which convey an impressive sense of depth to the eye, Flightfloor truly shows “1000 faces”.
The offerings from manufacturers of seats, among them B/E Aerospace, Thompson Solutions, Contour, Recaro and Sicma, were almost overwhelming. For example, to mention but one product, Recaro's CL 5310 seat is intended to deliver greater comfort in Economy Class. When the passenger tilts the back rest back, the angle of the seat also changes. As a result, the passenger has a much more stable seat position and his back is better supported because he remains in contact with the back rest.
The Japanese Yokohama Rubber Co. in turn was showing sophisticated toilet modules which to date have been installed in over 6,000 Boeing aircraft, including the entire 737 family. A new, functional and at the same time extremely light module was unveiled exclusively in Hamburg.
Materials and in-flight entertainment
In the area of materials, GE Plastics from the Netherlands was exhibiting amongst other things the new, flame-retardant material Ultem 9085. This makes it possible to produce components with thinner walls but with outstanding impact resistance, which, due to the lower wall thickness, allow the weight of the parts to be reduced by up to 10 percent. In this way, decompression grilles, window frames and supply equipment constructed out of Ultem 9085 can help cut down on fuel.
Also extremely interesting was the new MIJET antenna from the Israeli company, Starling Advanced Communication Ltd., one of the smallest Ku band antennae in the world for simultaneous transmission and reception, for internet, e-mail, mobile telephony, videoconferences, live TV and many other applications. The antenna has a diameter of only 75cm and can be installed on virtually every commercial aircraft in the world with only a single cable connection.
If up to now galleys have looked like shelf storage for machine parts, market leader Sell from Herborn will be introducing genuine chicness into the functional cabinets of the future. The new steam ovens, electric kettles and coffee machines are not only more powerful than their predecessors, but thanks to their new design they are bound to catch the eye of the airline buyers. International regulations demand amongst other things that all movable kitchen facilities should have dual transport safety locking, which up to now has been provided by two striking red levers. In its new models, Sell is now offering dual handles which are both ergonomic and pleasing to look at and each half also performs the safety function.
And finally a glimpse at the local matador, Lufthansa Technik (LHT), which has produced an improved stretcher design that allows sick and injured passengers in the aircraft to be transported lying down with reduced weight and in greater comfort. The installation can fit into any Economy Class cabin with minimal effort, irrespective of seat configuration. Details of additional products will be unveiled in future editions of FLUG REVUE.
From page 84 of FLUG REVUE 7/2007
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