Entertainment

Lufthansa Technik reveals new VIP cabin concept @DubaiAirshow2021

Close cooperation with Diehl enables large-scale projections of virtual content

· Retractable veranda enables EXPLORER audience new discoveries

· Future BRABUS Mobility lounge to showcase automotive treasures and exploration vehicles

At the upcoming Dubai Airshow, Lufthansa Technik AG will present further details of its new wide-body VIP cabin concept EXPLORER. After a sneak preview at the Monaco Yacht Show in September, numerous further details will now be on display at the aerospace trade fair in the United Arab Emirates. These include features that, thanks to the latest technology, can already be realized in an appealing and high-quality manner.

The EXPLORER design concept is based on the current trend for superyachts that fulfill two wishes for their owners: To take them almost anywhere at any time and to serve them at their destination as an individual hotel and base camp for a wide variety of leisure activities and excursions. Lufthansa Technik’s specialists have chosen the Airbus A330 as the platform for realizing these customer wishes in private aviation. As a classic wide-body aircraft, it offers sufficient space for a large number of novel cabin ideas and also a sufficient range to fulfill the special wishes of the EXPLORER target group.

Close cooperation with Diehl enables large-scale projections of virtual content

A particularly striking feature of the EXPLORER concept is the large-scale integrated projection system for virtual content, which extends from the window belt to almost the entire cabin ceiling in the multifunctional lounge area. Although similar features have often been seen in design studies, there has been no suitable technology to implement them in a way that is both aesthetically convincing and certifiable, until now. In close cooperation with Diehl Aerospace – a joint venture between Diehl Aviation and Thales – the experts at Lufthansa Technik have now succeeded in building the decisive bridge to the large-scale realization of such virtual cabin elements.

To this end, Lufthansa Technik’s design team integrated Diehl’s projection technology and tailored it specifically to the use in a VIP cabin. By cleverly positioning the small, lightweight and passively cooled.

projectors into the sidewall and ceiling elements, large-scale virtual impressions are created, the content of which customers can configure individually according to their wishes with the help of a corresponding software solution from Diehl.

“By integrating the unique projection system of Diehl, we have created an interior that exploits the technology`s full potential for a VIP cabin,” said Michael Bork, Aircraft Interior Architect in VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services at Lufthansa Technik. “It is optimized under technical and aesthetic aspects to provide an adequate framework for bringing a variety of atmospheres and virtual worlds to life, changing the overall look of the cabin by a fingertip.“

Aerospace

Eve and Kenya Airways’ Fahari Aviation sign agreement to scale Urban Air Mobility with an order of up to 40 eVTOLs to fly people and cargo

The agreement involves joint studies to develop and scale the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market in Kenya and a business model for cargo drone operations

Melbourne, FL, June 21, 2022 – In March 2022, a subsidiary of Eve Holding, Inc. (“Eve”) (NYSE: EVEX; EVEXW) and Kenya Airways’ subsidiary, Fahari Aviation, signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for up to 40 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. The agreement includes joint studies through a working group to develop and scale the UAM market and a business model for cargo drone operations in Kenya. The project is expected to start deliveries in 2026.

Eve’s eVTOL lift & cruise vehicle is electric-powered and the most practical design for efficiency and certifiability. Its multiple rotors are used to take off and land vertically, and at cruise altitude the rear propellers push the aircraft forward as in a wing-borne flight, providing a low-noise experience and making it easier to move within cities while avoiding traffic jams.

China’s TP500 freight drone makes its maiden flight.(Opens in a new browser tab)

“Urban air mobility is the future of transport and we are honoured to be the champions of this in the region. The journey to realise the dream of eVTOL vehicles in Kenya is on course, and the partnership with Eve is a key achievement for us as part of the strategy to adopt new technologies as a growth strategy for the sustainable development of Africa,” said Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Airways.

“This is a new chapter of the Eve and Fahari Aviation partnership to strengthen both companies’ commitment to establishing the foundations that will sustainably support the ecosystem for urban air mobility in Kenya. Last year, we announced a collaboration to develop operational models for Fahari Aviation’s key markets, and today’s announcement confirms that it is evolving successfully,” said Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve.