Clients Go Wild for Cabin Completions, Refurbs

With a new generation of business jets and corporate airliners entering service and aftermarket activity strengthening, completions and refurbishment providers report strong demand for their services. Moreover, customers today are making fashion statements with their interiors, requesting unusual materials, bold colors, and other custom touches that put a unique stamp on their aircraft cabins.

“Clients want something completely different and individualized, from styled to wild,” said Marianne Parkinson, v-p of marketing and brand strategy at Constant Aviation. “They’re not as concerned about resale [value]; rather they’re more focused on their personal preferences and enjoying the interior to their specifications.”

Lori Johnson, marketing communications manager at Duncan Aviation, agreed. “It’s a change from the more generic and conservative trends in aircraft interiors we have seen since 2009,” Johnson said, citing “a marked increase in the requests for aircraft interiors personalized to the operator’s tastes and usage.”

No need to travel to the static display at Orlando Executive Airport to see examples of current cabin fashion trends first hand. Completion and refurbishment companies exhibiting at the Convention Center are presenting multimedia displays of their interiors, examples of their rare materials and high craftsmanship, and their interiors experts who can explain all facets of the design, engineering and fashion trends that go into today’s aircraft cabins.

-Aeria Luxury Interiors customers “have been gravitating toward cleaner lines, subtle three-dimensional textures on broader surfaces, and abstract patterns incorporated into carpets and art pieces,” said Ron Soret, executive v-p and general manager. The VIP completion unit of ST Engineering, Aeria lands in Orlando having recently secured a full cabin refurbishment project for a Boeing 737 from a return customer, as well as receiving approvals to perform modifications on EASA- and Bermuda-registered aircraft. Aeria (Booth 1023) is also celebrating two successful BBJ redeliveries, both featuring Honeywell MCS 8000 Ka-band communication system installations. On the aftermarket side, Aeria is fielding increased requests for cabin refurbishment, CMS/IFE upgrades, and improved connectivity solutions.

Recent interiors feature “a heavier integration of white hues to brighten up spaces and to bring forth a larger appearance,” said Soret. He also noted “requests to create aircraft interiors that feel more homey, almost as if intended to forget one is flying.”

Aeria has also “landed a considerable amount of heavy maintenance and modification projects in 2018” along with its VIP completion contracts, and its hangar in San Antonio, Texas, will be “nearly full for the better half of 2019, with available slots filling up quickly,” Soret said. “It’s fair to say that the market for VIP completions is taking a turn.”

-New United Goderich (NUGI, formerly Goderich Aviation) reports customers are asking for “satin finish woodwork as opposed to high gloss, brighter, more neutral soft goods colors, and enhanced cabin connectivity,” according to Luc Masse, newly hired business development manager.

NUGI is spotlighting in Orlando its interior refurbishment capabilities, seen in projects such as its recent conversion, refurbishment, and repainting of JetsuiteX’s fleet of ERJ-135s. The makeovers included an ADS-B installation using a NUGI-developed STC.

The refurbishments complement the paint services the Canadian company has been known for throughout its more than 25 years in business. A full-service modification and maintenance facility with in-house cabinet and upholstery as well as avionics shops, NUGI (Booth 844) can offer turnkey cabin and cockpit upgrade solutions.

“We have tremendous refurbishment capabilities with a very good track record of quality and enjoyed a steady level of business,” said Masse. Yet with much of the market associating the company with painting services and overlooking the refurbishment side of the house, Masse said, “the company has yet to reach its full potential.”

“One factor that has kept the company off the radar of American operators is our location in Huron Park, Ontario, Canada,” Masse continued. “We may be perceived to be remote; however, our facility [located on a company owned airfield with a 5,000-foot runway] is within an hour’s flight from the American Northeast—well within an acceptable ferry distance.” He added the location “allows us to offer very competitive rates.”

NUGI also recently performed a complete interior refurb and paint on a Learjet for Northeastern Aviation, which was on static display at the NBAA Regional Forum in White Plains, New York, in June, and converted a Bombardier CRJ into a 15-seat VIP aircraft.

Newly appointed NUGI president Wee Hong Tang and the company’s sales and marketing teams are on hand at its convention center display where attendees can see videos documenting the recent CRJ and JetSuiteX Embraer ERJ conversions.

-Automotive styling is also driving design trends, with more customers wanting new stitch patterns and seat upholstery design “found in luxury cars such as Ferrari, Bentley, Aston-Martin, Jaguar, and Maserati,” said Tom Chapman, senior v-p of corporate aircraft at C&L Aviation Group of Bangor, Maine.

At its display in Orlando (Booth 2230), C&L is highlighting its new interior design and installation capabilities, and in-house ADS-B STC, together allowing the maintenance and repair company to offer turnkey upgrades that are “already bringing interior refurbishment business to Bangor,” said Chapman. “To be able to do this all in-house is big for us.”

Among the items showcased at its booth are C&L’s custom passenger seat upholstery design, and a before-and-after refurbishment display of a pair of aircraft seats that exemplify its “quality of work.”

The new interior design engineering division, C&L Engineering Services, was established this year to provide engineering support for the refurbishment projects. Concurrently, C&L moved its corporate aircraft maintenance into a dedicated 20,000-square-foot hangar. The added capacity has created more demand for refurbishments, “triggering plans to double the size of the upholstery and cabinet shops,” Chapman said.

With experience in regional jet sourcing and conversions, C&L is also developing a program to transform RJs “into high-end membership shuttles and private charter aircraft,” said Chapman. “That’s going to be a long-standing project.”

Additionally, C&L has added Cessna Citations (XLS) to its maintenance inspection approvals, joining those for the Bombardier Challenger 600 series, Hawkers, Beechjets, and King Airs.

C&L is also announcing at NBAA a partnership to provide additional support to sister company Sevenjet Private Travel, a maintenance facility specializing in turboprops and light jets located at Florida’s St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport.

-Robert Roth, president of Global Aircraft Interiors, agrees, “The automotive industry sets the trends for the aviation industry.” In refurbishing an Astra for a first-time buyer recently, “We matched the exterior paint scheme to the customer’s Ferrari, a spectacular white and blue color scheme.” In-house designer Nelson Medina handled the project.

Source: https://bit.ly/2NvsFfd