Finalists of Crystal Cabin Awards announced in two new categories

The “Clean & Safe Air Travel” targets cabin innovations in terms of health, hygiene, safety, and cleanliness and comes against the backdrop of the pandemic and in the hopes of making flying carefree and pleasant for passengers again. 

The five shortlisted entries include the Safran Cabin's Beacon Clean Lavatory (U.S.) for antimicrobial surfaces in the cabin bathroom where elements can be used without touching them. Another U.S. company, Collins Aerospace, has entered its Lilac-UV concept for improved in-flight safety. Both the crew and passengers can activate an ultraviolet disinfection lamp above the passenger seat for reliable, occasional cleaning during the flight. A third U.S. company, Rosen Aviation, has entered its Holographic Controller - futuristic control panel for activating functions in the galley using infra-red and motion sensors. 

Britain's MGR Foamtex has entered an invisible protective shield called MGRSafeWall for use on both hard and soft surfaces including seat fabric. The concept has been shown to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 virus load on material by 85 per cent within just a quarter of an hour and up to 99.9 per cent in two hours. The CleanAir concept entered by Austria's Villinger GmbH make germs and viruses harmless. The air filter uses thousands of ionising micro-electrodes that absorb particles substantially smaller than those required under the present HEPA standard. The filter has an added advantage as it does not create by-products such as ozone or nitric oxide.

The “Judges’ Choice Award” covers entries that would otherwise have been submitted in one of the eight ordinary categories. Finalists include Japan's Toyota Boshoku with its Cloud Capsule concept offering economy passengers the option of a comfortable bunk bed berth as well as their seat. The POSITIVELY ECONOMY concept delivers three economy classes in one: an innovative eco-seat at the window, a personalised Premium Economy class and Premium Plus seating in the centre with more space and privacy. The French company Safran Seats (in co-operation with Universal Movement) is competing with its foldable Interspace wings. This concept offers passengers a calmer flight and the wings can be retrofitted to economy and domestic business class seats and fold out of the backrest when required.  

Austria’s FACC AG and its co-operating partners are eyeing more accessible aircraft for everyone. Lavatories on short-haul and medium-haul single-aisle aircraft are not fully barrier-free as space for toilets is limited by the demand for maximum seating capacity. The LAV4ALL concept promises disabled-accessible aircraft lavatories for retrofit in aircraft ranging from the Airbus A320 to wide-bodied jets. Rosen Aviation's Maverick Project has come up with all kinds of digital highlights including intuitive control panels and applications for a private jet cabin. 

The winners of both categories will be announced on September 15, 2021 during the virtual Aircraft Interiors Expo. The prestigious industry award was earlier presented in the eight main categories in April. The Crystal Cabin Award is the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation, donated by the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and released by the Crystal Cabin Award Association. It is managed by Hamburg Aviation. 

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