Of all the modes of mass transportation, the basic comfort standards of an airplane are high, if compared to rail or ship or some other surface transportation. In a bus or train or even a ship, you could just have ordinary seats fitted in and go about your operations. But in an airplane by the very nature of its business, even in low-cost carriers there is attention given to interiors. And when it comes to corporate or private jets, it takes a different dimension, depending upon the company and depending upon the individual and more importantly depending on the money that is going to be spent on making things look cool. There cannot be a truer statement than what Gulfstream mentions that an aircraft and its interiors reflects that the owner has navigated to a level of success few others have attained.

That makes the corporate aircraft manufacturer stay on his feet to know trends in design, cabin comfort and luxury fittings, etc. Innovations in business jets or turboprops are happening more at the cabin level, wherein passengers are given a hotel-like experience with bathrooms, lounge area, office space, entertainment zone and even a bar. These aircraft interior trends can be seen at its best during the Aircrafts Interior International Fair which happens in Hamburg, Germany.

Professor Richard Seymour, founder Seymourpowell, one of Europe’s most well-known and accomplished designers, has rightly said that the aircraft interiors industry must also learn from the innovation and imagination being employed by other sectors, citing the fashion and toy industries as examples. Not all the solutions need involve hardware, or great cost. Seymour said that an air travel trip can be fraught with numerous anxieties and uncertainties which can quite often be addressed simply and economically. Interiors come into play majorly.

PriestmanGoode, whose work I got to see on the Embraer E2 jets in Singapore sometime back states, while design today is more readily recognised as a driving force in creating better products, it is also intrinsic to the latter. Design is a tool that, when used from the outset, can enable airlines to deliver a better service.

In recent years PriestmanGoode has established its studio as a centre for excellence in aviation design. Based in London, the team includes designers, brand specialists, CMF (colour, material and finish) experts and visualisers. To help clients elevate their brands, the studio works in close partnership with their various teams including marketing, engineering, crew and maintenance. Each team has different needs, but being able to create a product that answers all of them will help the airline deliver a better service and thus establish a top reputation in its market. On the interiors product front, our dedication to research and development and to creating bespoke products will serve airline clients well. Adopting such products demonstrates to flyers that an airline is willing to continuously invest in order to provide its passengers with the very best experience.

BBJ interiors change at whim

The custom interior of the Comlux America Boeing Business Jet offers passengers lots of choices; the plane’s two interior compartments are flexible such that they can be configured in two different ways to accommodate sleeping, holding meetings, or relaxing. Some of that flexibility is due to specially designed pod seats—the first of their kind for a narrow-body aircraft. The custom seats, both singles and doubles, were created in collaboration with Iacobucci Aerospace of Italy and are tailored to provide best-in-class comfort in every position, from fully upright to fully flat. Each seat is equipped with five independent actuators for flexible, smooth articulation. Each seat also features USB ports, cup holders, reading lights, and a privacy partition.

There cannot be a truer statement than what Gulfstream mentions that an aircraft and its interiors reflects that the owner has navigated to a level of success few others have attained...

Maple-veneer wood paneling with accents of anigre, a tropical African hardwood, extends throughout the cabin, delivering a classic colour palette with calm, cool shades of beige and cream. Working from a brand-new Boeing Business Jet, the interior took over a year to complete. The company has not disclosed a cost for the custom interior.

Gulfstream inside and out designing

Gulfstream states that inside and out, a Gulfstream should reflect personal achievements and the intention to build on those accomplishments. Gulfstream refurbishment teams are ready to help owners imagine and craft an interior that incorporates the latest technologies and designs that symbolise who they are while creating a well-suited cabin environment, whether for pure enjoyment or to plan the next acquisition.

From floor to ceiling and the walls between, Gulfstream aircraft interiors offer thousands of possibilities to create a unique style and comfort. During every refurbishment, a regional sales manager and interior designer are assigned to the project to ensure that an owner’s desires are fulfilled and the aircraft is completed on schedule. Each aircraft model offers multiple floorplans, which create the opportunity to configure separate cabin areas for business, entertaining or stateroom privacy.

A Gulfstream designer helps define the environment and in selecting the fabrics, patterns and appointments that make concept a beautiful reality. Using a real-time technology scanner, the designer develops an immediate 3-D rendering of the interior created. Gulfstream design showrooms allow almost unlimited selections, whether it’s a choice of tailored carpets, hand-stitched leather for seats or exquisitely plush fabrics for the divan.

Sight and sound

Gulfstream states that dramatic cabin transformations can come from subtle improvements. Lighting is one. Incandescent, fluorescent and halogen aren’t the only options anymore. LED (light-emitting diode) lighting is longer-lasting, more efficient and, if desired, can be a softer, pinpoint illumination that is less disruptive to other passengers. Scientific innovation also offers an opportunity to retrofit a cabin with the latest in noise-suppressing materials. Gulfstream has long been the industry leader for quiet cabins, but newer materials and Gulfstream’s in-house testing facilities have resulted in further reductions in noise levels and vibration.

Dassault Falcon 8X longest cabin

Dassault Falcon 8X is its longest cabin. And every inch is used to advantage. With over 30 possible layouts, this is the industry’s most flexible cabin and the one most likely to offer an interior solution that meets customers’ exacting requirements. Noise and cabin altitude are low. Air quality is high. And connectivity is complete in this Wi-Fi environment, which is equipped with the latest FalconCabin HD+ cabin management system. Noise level is also low at a whisper-quiet 52 dB. Three extra feet can accommodate a lot more living space. The Falcon 8X provides options for a very comfortable three-lounge cabin with a shower aft and crew rest provisions forward. There are over 30 different cabin layouts from which to choose.

...That makes the corporate aircraft manufacturer stay on his feet to know trends in design, cabin comfort and luxury fittings, etc.

Embraer’s design suite on a roll

While Embraer Executive Jets is completing only its first decade, the technology we see in each new aircraft carries the DNA inherited from the company’s 45-year expertise in commercial and defence aviation. Embraer Executive Jets a few years ago unveiled its expanded design suite at its Customer Center offering another best-in-class experience for customers designing the interiors of their Phenom, Legacy and Lineage aircraft.

“Adding interior design for the Legacy 600, Legacy 650 and Lineage 1000 to the comprehensive Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 design suites is part of our effort to provide world-class design immersion on our complete line of aircraft,” said Jay Beever, Vice President, Interior Design. “Our showrooms are an integral part of the Executive Jets Customer Center, which opened in December, and they provide the ultimate, state-of-the-art visualisation technology for an integrated design experience.”

The Embraer Executive Jets Customer Center is designed to facilitate customer sales, design and delivery, all conveniently located in a single building. The design centres were developed by The Highland Group and designed by Julie Mandrell, owner of Viaggio Lux, which specialises in luxury design of aircraft and yachts. Modern lines, high-contrast colours, rich woods and sculpture are integrated into the design experience.

In the Phenom, Legacy and Lineage design centres, customers receive the personal attention of their customer account manager and the Embraer design and engineering teams in developing the design using the most advanced fabrics, leathers and optional equipment for cutting-edge aircraft interiors. The team also includes configuration experts to guide clients through the selection of materials and systems, enabling them to customise their aircraft to best satisfy their individual needs and missions.

Materials, carpets and systems cover more than 3,000 options for the Phenom, Legacy and Lineage executive aircraft. The team uses the industry’s latest design tools to rapidly produce high-quality renderings of furnishings and materials to ensure they meet customer expectations.