RedCabin Tokyo summit highlights innovation in the passenger experience
Following another exciting year bringing together industry leaders, RedCabin ended 2024 by welcoming delegates from around the world to its first Asia event to discuss the latest innovations in aircraft cabin interiors.
The event, hosted by ANA, showcased the latest developments in the industry and connected the most forward-thinking engineers, designers and manufacturers. The agenda provided dedicated roundtable and working group sessions for expert speakers and top industry voices to share insights and commentary that reinforced why the aircraft cabin interiors market continues to grow.
The future of the passenger experience remains key. Trending topics included sustainability and technological innovations, cabin comfort and accessibility in airline design. While there are still challenges to overcome and conversations to be had, the value of the summits continues to enable stakeholders and decision-makers to come together to collaborate, innovate and identify needs and solutions for ongoing industry pain points.
Passenger experience meets design
While collaboration between suppliers and airlines is an ongoing theme of each event, incorporating the design aspect into discussions allows delegates to get creative with their responses and expectations for the future.
Panels included speakers from Cathay Pacific and JPA Design introducing the new retrofit Business Class product cabin and seat, integrating various comfort aspects through careful feature design, material selection and advanced technologies. This was followed by a presentation on Defining Luxury for Premium Cabins, led by Ultrafabrics, Caon Design Office, Tangerine, Designworks and All Nippon Airways.
These took place alongside roundtables moderated by Designworks on luxury cabin interiors and an immersive session with experts from Studio TAMA and Lift Aero Design on trends that will influence future cabin designs. Boom Supersonic and Sutter Aviation Consulting also delivered a session on Designing the Supersonic Passenger Experience.
Reassessing accessibility
Improvements continue to be made on accessibility within the cabin in the interests of people with reduced mobility, or those with visual or auditory impairments. The specific needs and requirements of less able passengers will continue to be a key part of the innovation process.
To address such challenges and improve the experience of all passengers, the airline industry continues to reassess how passengers interact with the cabin to make the changes that, overall, make a substantial difference to the passenger experience.
An ongoing key topic at the summits, this event saw a dedicated panel which showcased the importance of inclusive cabin designs, featuring contributions from All Nippon Airways (ANA), JAMCO Corporation, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Discussions centred on enhancing accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility, including innovations like JAXA and JAMCO’s metamorphic lavatory.
ANA’s commitment to accessibility was later demonstrated not only as the first hosts of ACIS Asia but also through the tours of its Blue Base. The site features state-of-the-art training facilities dedicated to enhancing the passenger experience.
Sustainability and technology
The industry has embraced the importance of creating a more sustainable future, with the topic appearing in numerous discussions. Leaders from multiple sectors worked together and questioned what the critical next steps are, and how best to address them.
Sustainability in the cabin remains a priority, with this year’s agenda including roundtables on how to develop a clear route for cabin sustainability moderated by Trendworks, Studio ID Design, Sekisui Kydex and AVIC Cabin Systems as well as a cabin refurbishment focused session by Airbus Commercial Aircraft.
Delegates continued to share their opinions and contribute to discussions, voicing that improvements can continue to be made in cabin sustainability through the increased use of recycled materials and more environmentally-friendly design alternatives.
Coming up in 2025
This year, RedCabin is excited to be organising its second Business Jet and VIP Interior Innovation summit, hosted by F/LIST in Vienna in September. Building on last year’s success, the event aims to bring together the entire value chain of the business jet interior, including aircraft manufacturers, cabin suppliers, completion centres, designers, charter operators, business jet aircraft management, and business jet owners.
Innovation in aircraft cabin interiors will continue to prioritise the passenger while making sure the design process also incorporates the importance of sustainability, technology and accessibility. There’s an exciting year ahead with innovation ready to be explored again at the next RedCabin summits in Atlanta from 10-12th June hosted by Delta Flight Products and Dublin from 2-4th December with hosts Avolon.
What’s next?
It was clear during the summit that challenges caused by complex regulations and the need for suitable alternatives are still a concern within the industry. However, with collaboration between industry players on the rise, so were conversations about overcoming the hurdles that experts face when working collaboratively to improve the passenger experience.
Cabin interiors are undergoing a revolution that is driven by passenger demands, technology advancements, and the need to be more sustainable. As the industry continues to evolve and collaborate, the future of cabin interiors promises to elevate the flying experience for passengers worldwide.
Monica Wick is the founder and CEO of RedCabin, a global aviation summit series which brings experts together to develop new products, partnerships and processes to tackle the biggest challenges in aviation and improve the passenger experience.
Based in Berlin, she has more than two decades’ experience in the industry and understands the important role collaboration plays in bringing true innovation to market.
Featured image credited to Boom Supersonic
