HAMBURG, Germany, March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Anyone wishing to be kept up-to-date on the most recent trends in flight comfort should not miss out on the Aircraft Interiors Expo, taking place from 5 to 7 April in Hamburg. The world’s largest trade fair for aircraft cabins is a showcase for tomorrow’s materials, products and technologies. One of the highlights will be the Crystal Cabin Award which is granted to award innovative products and ideas. An international jury has assessed a total of 52 submissions, and the 21 most promising submissions have been nominated for the final viewing.
Among the hopefuls for one of the seven esteemed trophies are renowned companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Recaro and Contour. But also smaller companies are competing to obtain a trophy, which has become an international quality seal and marketing tool within the industry. The student submissions in particular have been outstanding for their creativity. Submissions included a cabin with panoramic ceiling windows and lightweight seats made of high-tech gel. “The products and concepts nominated are of the highest standards and demonstrate that comfort, cost efficiency and climate protection do not exclude one another,” says Walter Birkhan, President of the Crystal Cabin Award Association and the Aviation Cluster Hamburg Metropolitan Region Association.
Hamburg – the European Green Capital 2011 – is internationally renowned for its competence in aircraft cabins and cabin systems. In collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises, Airbus is developing state-of-the-art cabin equipment, while Lufthansa Technik is the expert in catering for VIP requirements. Cabins are also a focus of the newly established Hamburg Centre of Aviation Training (HCAT), an inter-campus cooperative project in which the industry, universities and trade schools network to secure needs-based training of specialist personnel – a programme that is unique in Europe. The excellent networking of all stakeholders and the innovative power of the industry network are the reasons why the Federal Government awarded the Aviation Cluster Hamburg Metropolitan Region as one of Germany’s Leading-Edge Clusters.
