Aircraft Interiors Expo Los Angeles takes off, in line with the booming market
Aircraft Interiors Expo lands in Los Angeles on 10-12 September 2019
According to a recent market research report published by MarketsandMarkets™, the aircraft cabin interiors industry is projected to grow from $27.0 billion in 2018 to $40.2 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.87% from 2018 to 2025[1]. Increased passenger traffic across the globe – which is expected to rise by 5% year-on-year – has resulted in a higher number of new aircraft orders, as well as a move to invest and upgrade existing aircraft fleets, as airlines place a greater focus on enhancing the passenger experience.
It is against this backdrop of significant investment that Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas – the only global fall event dedicated to the cabin interiors industry – lands in Los Angeles this September. The show offers an enviable line-up of leading exhibitors, an impressive programme of CabinSpace Live seminar sessions and an exciting new buyer programme: AIX Connect.
Brand-new networking opportunities
With networking of utmost importance to attendees at AIX this fall, the show will welcome the launch of a brand-new specialist buyer programme, AIX Connect. The free initiative for buyers from companies including OEMs, airlines and tier 1 suppliers, is designed to help key airline buyers meet relevant exhibitors and build long-lasting business connections.
First-class exhibitor line-up
Outside of targeted networking opportunities, visitors can meet with a range of exhibitors showcasing the future trends and products to transform cabin interiors and the passenger experience, from air conditioning and sound-proofing equipment to new seating configurations and materials.
Several brands will take the opportunity to launch new products at the show, including Aviointeriors S.p.A. who will reveal its new Adagio high-density business class seat for both wide and narrow-body aircraft ranging from eight abreast to five. The company will also showcase its artist-inspired ranges, including the Canova business class; Caravaggio premium economy and Michelangelo economy seats – the latter of which has been designed to improve the experience on long-haul flights. Also representing the seating category is TSI Aviation Seats, Boltaron Inc, and Optimares SpA.
Showcasing the latest in innovative materials, ELeather will highlight its engineered leather made by a revolutionary process that transforms unused leather into advanced materials whilst achieving a significantly lower environmental footprint. Euro Composites S.A will demonstrate its durable floor panels, suitable for aisles, entrances/exits, galleys, cargo bays and under seats, whilst Schneller Llc will reveal its newest, lightweight reinforced decorative laminate, AerTrim sofTouch®, which is designed with a uniquely soft feel. Specialising in the extrusion of magnesium profiles and aluminium profiles, Mifa Aluminium BV will showcase their fully finished precision products with dimensional tolerances from ± 0.0008, to give designers increased freedom in design without the restrictions of standard specifications.
With the worldwide market for aircraft galley equipment expected to grow to $810 million by 2024[2], exhibitors at AIX LA will showcase the latest innovations and products in galley equipment including first-class lavatory housing from Euro Composites S.A and Air Refrigeration Unit (ARU), InnoLite Toiler Assembly and a Space Optimised Lavatory from Diehl Aviation.
Live learning opportunities
The show’s popular CabinSpace Live Seminar Theatre will also return to the fall event, offering visitors a carefully curated – and free – programme of seminars to learn more about the trends and challenges shaping the aviation sector from the industry’s leading passenger experience experts. Presentations will offer insights into the latest seating trends and innovations, scientific research, material innovations and technologies that will optimise passengers’ sense of wellbeing onboard.
Highlights include a panel discussion on the outlook for aircraft interiors which will open the programme on the first day. Gary Weissel, Managing Officer at Tronos Aviation Consulting, will join James Blackwell, Director of Sales at RECARO Aircraft Seating, and Tim Garvin, Sales at Pexco Aerospace to debate the critical market forces impacting the market supply chain in the coming year and the challenges airlines and their industry partners face implementing interiors specification programmes. Also looking ahead to the future, Helge Sachs, Senior Vice President of Product Innovation at Diehl Aviation, will deliver a talk on innovating seamless user experiences for passengers and crew, sharing insight into the company’s customer-centric innovation strategy and some of the initiatives that will create tomorrow’s intelligent cabin.
Addressing cabin comfort, James Blackwell will be joined by Elijah Dobrusin, Vice President of Development and Strategy at EnCore, Tom Lipscomb, Senior Project Manager at PriestmanGoode and James Barrett, Vice President of Aerofoam Industries in Are you sitting comfortably?, to investigate the latest seating trends and innovations that will differentiate the passenger experience and deliver a more competitive cabin for airlines. Addressing the challenges and opportunities of innovating for comfort, Matthew Nicholls, Sales Director at Tapis Corporation, will offer insights into the latest comfort science research, materials innovations and technologies that will enhance a passenger’s sense of wellbeing.
Two further sessions will consider passenger wellbeing and discuss the opportunities and issues that need to be addressed to improve accessibility and passenger experience for all. Jennifer Coutts Clay will lead a keynote session on flying for all – creating an accessible cabin, joined by Hank Scott, Chief Executive Officer, Molon Labe Seating, Tom Lipscomb of PriestmanGoode, Michele Erin, Founder and President of All Wheels Up and Gina Emrich, Senior Manager of Customer Accessibility at American Airlines. Whilst Bob Nelson, Engineering at Humbay, will lead a seminar on innovating health and wellbeing onboard – airplane air quality, exploring inflight humidity options and the health and wellbeing issues for passengers and crew, along with the integration and innovation for aerospace design.
In Integrating cabin innovations onto aircraft, Doug Christensen, Technical Lead for Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ ecoDemonstrator program will reveal how the initiative takes new products and innovative solutions out of the lab and onto a dedicated test aircraft. He will share insights on how this approach helps address the challenges of implementing innovation and explore the learning benefits for engineers and designers, plus the collaborative opportunities it presents.
Finally, Matthew Nicholls will return to present a keynote session on making sense of premium economy cabins in which he will explore the choices premium economy customers make on the ground, as well as how the interiors supply chain can help meet their expectations in the cabin, plus the premium economy trends to watch in the Americas market.
Free visitor registration now open
Aircraft Interiors Expo will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Centre in California, USA on 10-12 September 2019. The event will be co-located with APEX EXPO and IFSA EXPO, enabling attendees to experience the full spectrum of aircraft interiors products and passenger services in one location, bringing together more than 3,500 qualified industry professionals.
Event Director Polly Magraw commented ahead of the show: “AIX LA may be the little sister to the Hamburg show in spring, but it’s where business connections are made, and that’s why we’re so excited to launch the brand-new AIX Connect programme this year. We are looking forward to welcoming world-class companies both as exhibitors and visitors to this year’s show, ready to meet, inspire and find pragmatic solutions to current challenges facing the industry. This, alongside a fantastic CabinSpace Live programme including some of the industry’s leading experts, makes it very clear that this year’s edition of AIX LA is the only place for aircraft interior professionals to be this September.”
For more information and to register to attend AIX LA this September to get full access to the CabinSpace Live sessions, please visit: www.aircraftinteriorsexpo-us.com/registration.
[1] https://www.marheketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/aircraft-cabin-interior-market-74760139.html
