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Join us on board for the 2024 "Aircraft Interiors Expo"!

Business

Welcome to the world of airplane interiors, where comfort and aesthetics meet ergonomic design and technological innovation. From May 28 to 30, 2024, the German city of Hamburg played host to one of the global industry's largest trade fairs. The Group showcased the activities of Safran Seats, Safran Cabin and Safran Passenger Innovations. Read on for highlights and a behind-the-scenes look at the latest edition.

Safran's booth at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024

All the comfort of an airplane... in a convention center. From May 28 to 30, 2024, the Hamburg Messe took on the appearance of a giant airplane cabin – it would have been no surprise to meet stewards and hostesses in the aisles... And for good reason: the center was hosting the latest edition of the Aircraft Interiors Expo (or AIX), a flagship event for industry players.

More than 13,000 visitors from around the globe gathered in Hamburg, Germany, a city famous not only for its seaport but also its aviation hub, one of the world’s largest. Airplane seats, galley equipment and in-flight catering: 400 exhibitors seized the opportunity to showcase the industry's premier products. From economy to first class, nothing is left to chance in the effort to improve the passenger experience, which is a prime objective for airlines.

The Aircraft Interiors Expo gives Safran a unique opportunity to meet customers face-to-face and show them our products and innovations. It is also a perfect occasion for our teams to meet up and experience a major event together.
Victoria Foy, CEO of Safran Seats

Decarbonization and connectivity front and center at the Safran stand

Fresque décarbonation du stand Safran à l'Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024

Visitors to the Safran stand were able to experience for themselves the comfort of our Unity business class seats, sip a cappuccino prepared in a Smart Galley, discover the range of services offered by the RAVE system (now available with augmented reality headsets as announced at the show), or try on oxygen masks developed by Safran Aerosystems... These products address the Group's strategic objectives, starting with decarbonization, which was the subject of a special frieze at the entrance to the stand. 

Safran's connected interiors at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024

Connectivity for aircraft interior equipment also featured heavily at the stand, with electric galley modules and the seat actuation system on prominent display: "We are working with Safran Cabin, Safran Seats and Safran Electronics & Defense to develop a solution that creates a connected ecosystem in the cabin," explains Lisa-Cécile Khouphongsy, a Safran Cabin Program Manager. The idea is to interconnect devices inside the cabin in order to consolidate their data in a unified solution. This will in turn allow us to provide a range of maintenance and other services to airlines. “ 

Safran Electronics & Defense also had an area devoted to its Ultima range of emergency location transmitters (Ultima S and Ultima DT), as well as the Comfort electric seat actuation system for commercial aviation. "Our main goal for this show is to promote our solution - one of the most powerful and compact on the market - to our biggest customer, Safran Seats, but also all our third-party customers," explains Jean Barrandon, Product Strategy and Program Manager at Safran Electronics & Defense.

Safran Electronics & Defense's stand at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024
Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024: Safran Electronics & Defense's stand
Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024: Safran Electronics & Defense's stand
© Jonathan W. van Hoorn / Anthony Guerra
Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 : SeatNet Elite
Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 : SeatNet Elite
Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 : SeatNet Elite
© Jonathan W. van Hoorn / Anthony Guerra
Aircraft Interior Expo 2024: Women@Safran

The second day of the show began with a breakfast event devoted to the Women@Safran network. This presentation, hosted by Veronica Klein, Sales Director for America at Safran Cabin, shone a spotlight on the dynamic activities of this network in the United Kingdom, south-eastern France and America.

Safran sparkles at the Crystal Cabin Awards

The Crystal Cabin Awards are the equivalent of the Oscars for aircraft cabin interiors. Featuring among the finalists with our "Signature" seat is a big mark of recognition from our peers, regardless of the final result
Raul Flores, VP Advanced Concept at Safran Seats

A few hours earlier, on the Tuesday evening, a prestigious ceremony was held on the sidelines of the event: the annual Crystal Cabin Awards, which reward the best innovations in aircraft interiors. This year, no fewer than four Safran products were in contention for the final, a source of pride for the Group:

  • In the "Cabin systems" category: Safran Cabin’s "The Cube" is an aircraft galley waste disposal system that saves space and maintains a clean environment for the crew.
  • In the "Health and Safety" category: The "RAVE Accessible IFE*" in-flight entertainment system from Safran Passenger Innovations is an inclusive solution suitable for people with impaired sight, hearing or motor control, as well as for neurodivergent and cognitively impaired users.
  • In the "Passenger comfort" category: the "Signature" economy class seat concept from Safran Seats lets you sit comfortably without being disturbed by reclining passengers seated in front.
  • In the "Sustainable Cabin" category: Safran Cabin's "Onboard Water Dispenser" provides passengers with potable water filtered by a UV light system.
We are delighted to make the final shortlist, as this gives us an opportunity to raise awareness of the issues faced by passengers with disabilities. The industry has made great progress in recent years, but we can still do a lot more to be inclusive!
Louis Poupard, Technical Product Manager at Safran Passenger Innovations

In the end, "The Cube" went on to be named the overall winner in its category: 

This win means a lot to us. It recognizes our work and our in-depth understanding of airlines’ needs, as well as the quality of our response to those needs. We are very proud of this award!
George Stachowski, Director, Business Development at Safran Cabin
Crystal Cabin Awards: "The Cube" winner team

Highlights of the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo

Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024: discover the highlights! : 02 minutes and 02 seconds