Next year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo is set to be the biggest in the event’s ten-year history despite the ever steepening downturn in the global economy, according to organiser Reed Exhibitions.
“Change brings with it opportunities,” says Expo consultant Vern Alg, a former director of project management at Continental Airlines. “For example, the consolidation of airlines will almost certainly be accelerated by the downturn. This will create a need for fresh liveries and designs as the reinvented entities seek to stamp their new corporate identities.”
Next year’s Expo is due to return to its customary Hamburg venue on March 31-April 2. Among the emerging themes is the contribution of the interiors industry to aircraft weight and fuel savings. “Expo 09 will showcase weight-saving solutions across a range of equipment and components,” says Alg. “The industry is also responding to the airlines’ need to accommodate more passengers without compromising comfort.”
Overall, says Alg, the challenge to the industry in the coming months is to cut costs while maintaining its own profits and not adversely affecting the passenger experience.
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India has approved millions of dollars in new military purchases, most of which will go to public sector companies.
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MBDA is adapting to supply chain pressures as the Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to increased demand for armaments.
Despite the additional funding promised this week, the UK armed forces still look set to face cutbacks, and maintaining international commitments to AUKUS and GCAP may limit the options for other programmes.
This week on the Shephard Defence Podcast, senior naval reporter Harry Lye and military training & simulation reporter Norbert Neumann chat with Professor John Louth.
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