Airbus vice president marketing, Bob Lange, is calling for an industry body to help drive baseline certification standards for cabin interiors.
Speaking during a panel debate at the Cabin Innovation & Strategies For The Future conference in Hamburg on the eve of Aircraft Interiors, Lange said the body should be driven by manufacturers, vendors and in particularly airlines. "The question is who leads it," he says.
While Recaro Aircraft Seating managing director Mark Hiller noted that the manufacturers' catalogues were "moving the other way" with special requirements adapting to individual requirements, Lange, says: "I would distinguish between industrial standards and basic certification requirements".
Star Alliance has made progress on standardisation after developing a common platform seat, launching initially on three Star members. "Our challenge is to take that product and integrate that into the seating catalogues - it would be a unique seat for our alliance members," says Star Alliance director strategic sourcing, Steve Collard.
Lange adds "I don't see the two as incompatible." He notes that it is good for the manufacturer if a large enough bulk of customers want to have something similar. "What we are seeking as an airframer is repeatability," he says.
Source: Flight Daily News
