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Airbus showcases bionic designs for future aircraft cabins at AIX 2024

Airbus showcases bionic designs for future aircraft cabins at AIX 2024
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Runway Girl Network | Runway Girl Network

Airbus is advancing its vision for sustainable aviation through nature-inspired innovation and bionic design, as part of its Airspace Cabin Vision 2035+ project. The company aims to reduce cabin structural and lining element weight by up to 40% using biomimicry principles.

At the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Airbus showcased an overhead bin with a bionic structure made from recyclable thermoplastic material. Ingo Wuggetzer, Airbus vice president of cabin marketing, emphasized the importance of visible sustainable interiors for passengers. "It looks cool, and this is one of the things I want to achieve, that people see it," he told Runway Girl Network.

While Airbus continues to develop the durability of the bionic bin structure, Wuggetzer noted that industrialization might be achieved by the end of 2030. "To get that ready I would say it takes end of 2030 to get it really industrialized. It takes a while," he said.

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In addition to the overhead bin, Airbus displayed a recyclable thermoplastic ceiling and a bionic cabin partition at AIX 2024. Since 2016, Airbus has been working on bionic partitions using 3D printer technology to mimic organic cellular structures found in living organisms.

Airbus faces challenges with primary recycling due to stringent flammability regulations but is pursuing secondary recycling for its recyclable content. Sidewalls and bin linings can be upcycled into furniture for ground use, giving them "a second life," according to Wuggetzer.

Diehl Aviation supports Airbus' sustainability goals with innovations like the Diehl ECO Sidewall, which uses basaltic prepregs and a Kevlar® honeycomb core to reduce carbon footprint and weight by 10%. This design won the 2024 Crystal Cabin Award for Sustainable Cabin in Hamburg.

Wuggetzer addressed skepticism about achieving Vision 2035+, stating: "You need to start the change" and "take the people with us on that journey." He acknowledged that not every solution will reach primetime but asserted that many are already working well.

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