AIX2012: Crystal Award winners named for best in aircraft interiors

The ceremony was at Hamburg’s Atlantic Hotel alongside the Aircraft Interiors Expo, the world’s largest aircraft interiors event.

The unique international cabin prize went to Almadesign, B/E Aerospace & Teague, C&D Zodiac, Lufthansa Systems and TTF Aerospace. A total

of 58 entries from ten countries were assessed by the Crystal Cabin Award

Association in Hamburg. 18 entrants from seven different nations made it into the final round.

“Some of the winning products are unbelievably visionary and as innovative as

it gets. It is obvious that they have won a trophy. Others, on the other hand, have adopted the logical approach of taking existing developments to the next stage,” said Prof. Dr Peter Vink from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands (Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering) and Chairman of the Judging Panel.

Dr Bernd Egert, Secretary of State for Hamburg’s Department of the Economy, presented the trophy in the category “Passenger Comfort” to Lufthansa Systems. The German company won over the Judging Panel at the final viewing the previous day with its BoardConnect product. The wireless infotainment solution from Lufthansa Systems enriches the passenger’s flying experience whilst generating savings and new sources of income for airlines.

In the “Industrial Design and Technical Concepts” category, Rainer von Borstel (Diehl

Aerosystems) presented the trophy to B/E Aerospace & Teague from the USA. Their award-winning Essence Inserts Collection consists of ten individual products for the galley, united in design.

Ingo Wuggetzer of Airbus, a member of the Judging Panel, presented another US company, TTF Aerospace , with the “Material and Components” category for the TTF Aerospace TSkin product. TSkin protects baggage compartments from damage and at the same time gives them a fresher look.

In the field of “Greener Cabin, Health and Safety”, it was C&D Zodiac who carried the day with the C&D Zodiac Sidewall & Lining System. The US developer’s composite film is both user-friendly and environmentally friendly. It can be applied to the sidewalls and ceilings in all commercial aircraft. Presenter and Judging Panel member Peter Bishop was the first to congratulate the winner.

C&D Zodiac was called back to the stage again moments later. Ian Crawford of Reed Exhibitions presented them with the trophy in the new “Premium Class Products” category for their C3 Ultralounge. Instead of the traditional twin aisle, there is a single large aisle with multiple cross aisles, speeding the boarding process. The unique arrangement of the seats gives premium-class passengers the choice of various seating positions – club seating, companion seating and conference seating.

In “Visionary Concepts”, the second new category, victory belonged to Almadesign. With their LIFE concept (Lighter, Integrated, eco-Friendly and Efficient aircraft cabin), they combined state-of-the-art technology with natural, sustainable materials such as leather and cork to create a cabin for the executive jet of the future. The team from Portugal was presented with its trophy by Vink.