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“This show is growing in stature and content every year,” was the verdict of Tim Clark, Emirates’ President, speaking at the opening press conference of Aircraft Interiors Expo this morning. “We visit the show to learn, counsel and impart what we, as airline operators, know we’re going to need,” he added.
The press conference aired a number of issues that are posing challenges for the world’s airlines both now and in the future.
Addressing the initial theme of the conference, whether the industry was preparing for an upturn, Ben Bettell, Business Development Director at Premium Aircraft Interiors Group, said that there had been only a marginal downturn in OEM work but that the retrofit market was an area of concern once the upturn started. “That is what we need to be prepared for,” he said. “How do we get product to market sooner when everything ramps up.”
Two of the panel commented that Premium Economy was becoming a confusing sector for passengers. “The battle is moving into the world of defining what premium economy is,” said Bettell. Airbus’s Head of Aircraft Interiors Marketing, Bob Lange, said: “The reason to offer premium economy needs to be as a plus for economy passengers…not something where people are encouraged to trade down from business class.”
In terms of inflight entertainment, Airbus’s Lange said the company was seeing an increasing demand for connectivity rather than entertainment. Emirates’s Clark backed this up saying: “Emirates has pushed ahead with mobile telephony – the more we push ahead the more it’s taken up but connectivity is key. The longer you travel the more passengers want to hook up to the internet.”
Looking to the future, Carter Stewart, Aviation Services Director, at Prospect Consulting & Design, said airlines would increasingly need to address issues such as the changing demographics of travellers. Designing interiors that cater for everyone from an aging population to “digital natives”, up and coming young executives who have never experienced an internet or mobile phone-free world, to what he called the “supersized” person – passengers who require more space to accommodate both height and obesity needs. Stewart said that products such as seats that could slide into a number of different positions were just starting to appear in prototype form on the exhibition floor and could start to provide some ideas in this area.
In co-operation with Hamburg Messe
Ends
Aircraft Interiors Expo is the largest dedicated aircraft interiors event in the world and will see companies exhibiting the full spectrum of technologies and products for airline constructors and operators. www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com
For further information or high resolution images please contact Victoria Bailey or Carol Seath in the Aircraft Interiors Media Centre on Tel: +44 (0)7733 264401 or +49 (0)40 3557 8405 or email info@cmsstrategic.com
About the organiser:
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organiser, with over 440 events in 36 countries. In 2009 Reed brought together over six million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organised by 35 fully staffed offices.
Reed organises a wide range of events, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its portfolio of over 440 events serves 44 industry sectors, including: aerospace & aviation, automobiles, beauty & cosmetics, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics, energy, oil & gas, engineering & manufacturing, food service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT & telecoms, jewellery, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery, marketing, business services & training, medical education, printing & graphics, security & safety, sports & recreation, and travel.
Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.
Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2008, Reed Elsevier made an adjusted profit before taxation of £1,205 million on turnover of £5,334 million.
About the location: Aviation Cluster Hamburg Metropolitan Region
Hamburg is one of the world’s most important locations for the civil aviation industry. Three key players, Airbus Deutschland, Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg Airport, along with more than 300 small and medium-sized enterprises, employing over 36,000 people between them, as well as a variety of scientific and technological institutions, all contribute their know-how and expertise. The Hamburg Metropolitan Region is widely considered to be an international centre of expertise in aircraft cabins and cabin systems. The city is also home to the annual Crystal Cabin Award, the first and, to date, only prize for innovation in the field of aircraft cabins. Aircraft Interiors Expo, which is organised in co-operation with the Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC), is being held for the ninth consecutive year at Hamburg’s premier events venue.
Tags: Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC), Reed Exhibitions