Etihad Airways has scooped the coveted 2015 Crystal Cabin Award in the ‘Premium Class & VIP’ category, for its innovative Airbus A380 upper deck cabin designs and products. The ceremony was held in Hamburg, Germany, as part of the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo.
The Crystal Cabin Award is the only international award recognising
excellence in aircraft interior innovation. The international judging panel is
made up of more than 20 academics, engineers, representatives of aircraft
manufacturers and airlines, as well as journalists specialising in the field of
aircraft interior design.
Peter
Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “This
prestigious accolade is testament to the incredible work carried out by the
Etihad Airways team and the members of the Etihad Design Consortium. It has
brought to reality our vision of redefining travel by investing in innovation
and attention to detail, allowing us to totally reimagine flying.
“By involving
our guests and stakeholders in the research and design process from the very
beginning of this project, we have succeeded in creating a spectacular aircraft
interior tailored to the needs of the sophisticated modern traveller.”
The award was presented jointly to Etihad Airways and the members of the
Etihad Design Consortium (EDC) – a unique grouping of three leading brand and
design agencies, who pooled their combined skills to deliver Etihad Airways’ ambition
of revolutionising air travel by totally reimagining the flying experience.
Created
in 2008, in collaboration with leading co-creation and research agency, Promise
Communispace, the EDC incorporates three companies: Acumen Design Associates,
who were contracted to design all on-board seating; Factorydesign, who were
chosen to design the guest experience and destination zones; and Honour
Branding, who were tasked with coordinating the
project interface between the EDC and Etihad Airways and formulating the
creative strategy for the concept work.
As
part of this objective, Etihad Airways sought to completely rethink the upper
deck design on its ten new Airbus A380 aircraft, the first of which is
currently in service between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, with Sydney and New
York seeing A380 services from June and December 2015 respectively.
The
Upper Deck of the Etihad Airways A380s includes three distinct passenger
experiences, as well as a luxurious lobby area; The Residence by Etihad, the
world’s first private three room cabin on a commercial aircraft, featuring a
living room, bedroom and bathroom; First Apartments in First Class, 74 per cent
larger than the current First Class Suites, and boasting a separate bed and
armchair in a unique single aisle concept – the first time this has been
achieved on a widebody commercial jet; and Business Studios in Business Class, offering
more luxury, technology and 20 per cent more personal space.
The
upper deck cabin entrance has transformed the boarding experience into one akin
to stepping into a boutique hotel. Cabin lighting has
been influenced by the geometric patterns in traditional architecture and also
the modern design marvels such as the mosaic-style ceiling of the Louvre Museum
in Abu Dhabi. Specially placed gobo lighting subtly refracts the airline’s
‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ design onto cabin walls and floors.
The
new cabins offer an unprecedented level of luxury, space and privacy in the
most highly customised commercial cabin interior ever.