One unintended consequence of the pandemic has seen a fundamental change in the cabin interior for the better. Cleanliness and hygiene have now become as important as comfort and safety for the onboard passenger experience.

Aviation has ground to a halt over the past year, and its recovery depends on the effectiveness of government policy and changes in consumer behaviour. ‘Biosafety’ products are being explored as a means to help restore demand, but whether they provide value and additional benefit remains to be seen.

Airports and airlines are implementing digital systems which enable a touchless travel experience, including contactless check-in and bag drop, thermal scanners and facial recognition technology. Onboard, touchless inflight entertainment systems are being implemented as airlines look to reduce the amount of contact between passengers and seatback displays.

Touchless technology is changing onboard service too, with more airlines investing in branded smartphone applications so that passengers can make inflight purchases, without needing to handle physical menus or pay terminals.

Airlines are also employing electrostatic spraying and UV cleaning techniques to disinfect entire aircraft cabins and offer the highest levels of protection for those onboard. The perception of cleanliness has become equally important for improving passenger confidence.

The last few months have been the hardest the aviation industry has ever faced, but as vaccination programmes roll out and travel restrictions are cautiously lifted, there are reasons to be optimistic. The willingness of our industry to work together and bring about change has been one of the more positive things to come out of the pandemic.

Turn to page 16 of this issue, where RedCabin’s CEO and founder, Monica Wick provides the inside track on the kinds of interior products that are helping today’s airline cabin designers turn tomorrow’s aircraft interiors into a living reality.

Mike Richardson, editor