• Once again, the Aircraft Interiors Expo, being held at Hamburg’s Trade Fair from 14 to 16 April, will reveal global trends for aircraft cabins and on-board products.

Hamburg, Germany | April 8, 2015– Overhead lockers that take 50 percent more suitcase than conventional lockers do. Lightning-fast WLAN at every seat. Cabin windows that store sunlight and convert it directly into energy for the passengers’ smartphone batteries. Onboard films with Dolby Surround Sound and 3D. First-class seats that are as comfortable as a winged chair at home and yet can withstand 16G force. One thing you are sure to discover if you stroll through the Airport Interiors Expo: passionate fascination with the future of aviation! And that future is not far away. Many of the innovations presented at the world’s largest trade fair for aircraft cabins will soon be everyday features of air travel.

For the global airline industry, it is one of the most important events of the year. This year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, taking place at Hamburg’s Trade Fair from 14 to 16 April, will see almost 600 exhibitors from 40 countries presenting the latest trends, products, and innovations for the aircraft cabin. Some 31,000 square metres are dedicated to the expo this year. The world’s largest cabin expo, organised by Reed Exhibitions in the UK, is breaking the records it set just one year ago. Almost 10,000 international industry specialists, including 800 airline representatives, are expected to attend the three-day event.

Three halls are dedicated exclusively to in-flight entertainment this year. This is the fastest growing segment, including both technical and content aspects. The World Travel & Catering Expo, the world’s largest aircraft catering trade fair, will once again be held at the same site in parallel to AIX. On Monday, 12 April, the Passenger Experience Conference, a top-ranking international gathering, will once again be held at Congress Center Hamburg (CCH).

In the highly competitive airline market, the cabin is well established as one of the most important battlefields. Sometimes it is the extras in luxury and comfort that win the day, and sometimes it is the optimal usage of space and weight. The tempo is high, with an average of five complete cabin refurbishments in the life cycle of a modern airliner.

Hamburg the world’s leading cabin center

At the heart of this dynamic development is Hamburg. A significant portion of the 40,000 jobs in the region’s aviation industry are associated with the cabin sector. This makes the metropolitan region in northern Germany the most important location in the world for this growing market. Many of the more than 300 aviation companies and institutions in Hamburg have their own presence at the Aircraft Interiors Expo. “The cabin expertise which Hamburg possesses is unmatched anywhere in the world, as we demonstrate year-in-year-out at the Aircraft Interiors Expo,” says Prof. Dr Joachim Szodruch, Chairman of the Hamburg Aviation cluster. “At the same time, the expo, being held here in Hamburg for the 14th time, is growing significantly once again. For the first time, it has expanded to use all the halls available. This is a great sign for Hamburg as a place of business, and a great motivation for all participants in the cluster.”

Hamburg’s biggest three employers in the industry focus on cabins

The three largest industrial employers in Hamburg’s aviation sector – Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and Diehl – concentrate their cabin focus in the region. As a consequence, they have a prominent presence at the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Airbus has its global cabin development center at Finkenwerder in Hamburg. The company’s presence at the expo is dedicated to new, efficient possibilities for space usage on short and long-haul aircraft. Lufthansa Technik is a leading player in the international market, not least because of its focus on VIP fittings in Hamburg. The company is exhibiting a comprehensive palette of products at its stand this year, ranging from the “Chair” luxury seat to patient transport facilities. Diehl Aerospace is presenting a fully functional cabin model at the trade fair.

Apart from the big names, more than a quarter of the aviation jobs in Hamburg are with small and medium-sized businesses. They are represented by the supplier association, HanseAerospace. With 74 exhibitors, the organisation’s spacious “Hanse Pavilion” stand in Hall B6 is once again the largest individual stand at the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Two of the Hamburg-based enterprises in the spotlight this year are the young company Treo, which tests instruments for customers from all over the world, and P3 Voith, involved in the construction of the new Airbus Beluga XL.

The “Hanse Pavilion” is also home to the Hamburg Aviation stand (6B90 12.4), a 20-squaremeter presentation of Hamburg as a center of aviation. “SME suppliers and service providers are an important driving force for innovation for our aviation industry, regionally and also nationally. Hanse-Aerospace is therefore delighted to be able to bring together such a broad spectrum of these companies, along with Hamburg Aviation and the engineering service providers of the HECAS association, under a single roof – the Hanse Pavilion roof,” says Uwe Groening, President of Hanse-Aerospace.

Crystal Cabin Award: this year’s top innovations

An overview of the most outstanding trends and innovations in the cabin market can be found in the Crystal Cabin Award Gallery in Hall B6, Stand 6C10. There, the finalists and winners of the Crystal Cabin Award are on display. The prize, launched by Hamburg Aviation in 2007, has grown to become the world’s most highly regarded award in the industry. The winners of this year’s “Cabin Oscars” will be crowned at a formal ceremony in the Hotel Atlantic on the evening of 14 April. All winners and finalists will be in attendance in the Crystal Cabin Award Gallery at 11am on 15 April to present their products in person one more time.