Industry Airbus tests new cabin technologies with in-flight trials

Airbus is continually working on new technologies for the cabin of the future. Over the course of the “Flying Lab”, an Airbus A350-900 XWB, the manufacturer tests new Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Ultimately, Airbus seeks to pave the way for a new personalised passenger experience.

The manufacturer is said to be the first company in the industry to reveal the new IoT connected cabin technologies to customers in normal operations. At APEX Expo last year, Airbus first announced the Airspace Connected Experience. Since then, the company has performed pioneering work to create the most modern and connected cabin in the industry.

Airbus´ Flight Lab has been installed on the original A350-900 certification flight-test aircraft, MSN002. It is fitted with an Airspace cabin, which is the platform for all new technologies in-flight. Now, an initial set of working elements have been installed, said Airbus.

These include prototypes of the connected iSeat from Recaro, a remore wireless cabin management system, an OLED display and the Connected Gallery from gategroup. Last but not least, the first step of Airbus´ new “IoT” Backbone has been installed. This includes an open software platform.

All of these new technologies and platforms are now to be tested in-flight, together with others to be revealed in due time. With the opportunity for passengers to experience the new technologies first-hand and on-board, Airbus hopes to get valuable feedback.

About the Airspace Connected Experience, Airbus wrote in a statement: "[It] will usher in a new personalised experience for passengers and provide opportunities for improving airlines’ ancillary revenues and operational efficiencies."

The customer-centric approach Airbus is choosing includes three main characters: The passengers, airlines and crews. Passengers will receive a more personalized and specifically targeted travel experience. This, according to Airbus, covers the remote ordering of food, the booking of a private bin space and individual seat positions. Airlines will be able to generate new revenues through personalized advertisement, enabled by the new IoT approach. Moreover, carrier will improve their operational efficiency with new systems that detect predictive maintenance. Crews can work more efficient due to the new digital tools.