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Keith Mwanalushi reports:

 

Several airlines put cabin refurbishments on the backburner for the past few years and now the interiors market is looking to regain the 10-year period of uninterrupted growth before the pandemic hit.

 

In June, senior executives in the aircraft cabin interiors market returned to Hamburg for the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) show after a three-year hiatus with some 12,000 attendees gathered, and many painting an optimistic outlook for the future of the sector.

 

Delivering on airline expectations and innovation

 

Recently, AJW Technique Interiors announced that Air Serbia was the launch customer for SkyLeather®, a new synthetic material for seats. The synthetic 100% polyurethane material will be installed on their fleet of A320 aircraft. The radical new material is vegan, eco-friendly, lightweight, and durable, as well as being soft to the touch, antimicrobial, easy to clean and available in various colours and grain. According to AJW, as well as substantial cost savings, the polyurethane material has low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is formulated to allow an easier fitting process for complex seat shapes - meaning seat covers stay the same shape and look freshly installed for longer. Sohaib Ahmed, Programme Manager-Interiors at AJW, says one of the deciding factors on selecting this product was the significant fuel savings the material will afford which contributes to Air Serbia’s commitment to introduce sustainable products wherever possible across the organisation. “In addition, we are also working with major low-cost carriers and some of our large, contracted customers to support them with their cabin material requirements,” Ahmed adds.

 

AJW Technique Interiors exhibited for the first time at Aircraft Interiors EXPO in Hamburg this year, which Ahmed reports as having generated enormous interest from many major carriers in the service and products AJW is introducing to the interiors market. “Our plan to leverage our considerable experience within the supply chain and MRO markets by mounting a one-stop-shop, bespoke interiors offering onto the tried and tested template of our world-class parent entity, AJW Technique in Montreal, has certainly driven a huge amount of interest in the world of interiors,” he stated.

 

Ahmed informs that seat cover manufacturing, carpet kitting, headrest covers, literature pockets and life vest pouches are also on offer, along with significant savings driven by economies of scale all delivered from one factory location, which offers reduced shipping and manufacturing costs and convenience for the operator.

 

Get in touch

 

Email Sohaib Ahmed

 

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