Reprinted in part from AviTrader April 2017. For the full article click the link below.
Aircraft cabin modification and refurbishment is big business and increasingly competitive. Keith Mwanalushi examines the latest trends and projects from the key players in the industry.
The annual Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg reminds us just how much innovation and technology is influencing aircraft cabin interiors and there are several key factors an aircraft operator needs to consider before attempting a cabin reconfiguration project.
Jonathan Stodel, Director of Engineering at Avmax says operators need to be clear on the scope of changes that are required, and be prepared to have detailed discussions with potential service providers prior to any work actually starting on the aircraft.
“Information that is critical to understand are the level of change being considered, for example is the change cosmetic to upgrade colours or replace worn out material or is an actual configuration change being contemplated that may involve changing seating capacity or layout and new materials,” Stodel suggests.
Physical changes to a cabin layout may trigger an additional set of regulatory requirements that need to be considered over and above the more obvious material flammability requirements. “The use of exotic materials can also have a significant impact on the cost of a project and the delivery schedule. Keeping the material choice simple with known materials can go a long way to keeping certification costs down,” advises Stodel.
The other driver for cabin changes is technology, “in our connected world the expectation of being able to connect anywhere anytime is rapidly expanding to air travel. Both corporate operators and airlines are investing heavily in connectivity technologies,” he adds.