The most innovative ideas flying today and that will shape the future of air travel have been recognised in the Crystal Cabin Award 2025, the world’s leading prize for aircraft cabin technology. The winners were revealed at a gala dinner in Hamburg last night, with winners including Collins Aerospace, Cathay Pacific, Safran Cabin, Diehl Aviation and Tongji University. Cathay Pacific and Diehl Aviation won awards in two categories.
During a special evaluation day on Monday, 7th April, a panel of 27 international experts convened in Hamburg to decide the seven most pioneering entries – a difficult task, given the quality of the finalists. Together, the winning concepts paint a picture of an aviation future that is more connected, comfortable, sustainable and accessible than ever before.
“The finalists of the Crystal Cabin Award 2025 impressively demonstrate the high level of innovation within our industry – and the diverse ways we can enhance the passenger experience for everyone,” stated Ralf Gust, president of the Crystal Cabin Awards Association.
“With new categories like ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Judges’ Choice: Airline Innovation’, we are setting deliberate impulses for a more inclusive, creative and sustainable future of flying. The winning concepts show that it’s no longer just about comfort – it’s about personal relevance, technological intelligence, and social responsibility, Gust added.
The winners across seven categories of innovation
Cabin Technologies
Winner: Collins Aerospace with Galley.ai
Collins Aerospace’s Galley.ai system brings intelligence and connectivity to onboard meal services by combining AI and sensor technology to optimise crew workflows, passenger communication, and maintenance processes. The system tracks orders and inventory in real time, enables dynamic service updates, helps crew locate items, and provides direct information to passengers throughout the flight.
The system also includes safety features such as an alert if an insert is not secured in the galley. By linking galley equipment, crew tools and cabin interfaces, Galley.ai creates a more efficient, coordinated, and passenger-focused inflight experience. The jury was particularly impressed by the ability of Galley.ai to integrate multiple information streams, system modules and components, harnessing AI to reduce the workload of cabin crews.
Judges’ Choice: Airline Innovation
Winner: Cathay Pacific’s Gallery In The Skies
Cathay Pacific’s ‘Gallery in the Skies’ transforms the cabin from a functional area into an airborne art space. Passengers can enjoy 30 unique and original works of art by artists with deep ties to the airline’s home of Hong Kong – one masterpiece per retrofitted aircraft.
Curated with the guidance of Hong Kong art experts Dr Henrietta Tsui-Leung and Alan Lo, the collection invites passengers to engage with art in a gallery-like setting above the clouds. Each piece is presented on aviation-grade canvas within a purpose-built, light-enhanced display that blends seamlessly into the cabin’s spatial design, offering a new dimension to the inflight experience. JPA Design was key in combining beautiful aesthetics with airworthiness.
Passenger Comfort
Winner: Cathay Pacific, JPA Design and Reaktor – the Aria Suite IFEC system
Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite (business class) introduces an innovative IFEC system that unifies in-flight entertainment and cabin environment control like never before. For the first time in aviation, passengers can manage lighting, seat position, and crew communication through fully integrated ‘activity modes’ – customisable pre-sets accessible via the IFE screen, handset, seat control display, or remote control.
Seamlessly connected to the aircraft’s systems, the interface also allows passengers in all cabin classes to check lavatory availability from their seat. As the judges noted during their deliberations, the ability to integrate toilet availability has been a longstanding aim of cabin system designers, setting the winning entry apart as a new industry benchmark in smart cabin interaction.
IFEC and Digital Services
Winner: Safran Cabin with ‘Safran Connected Interiors’
Safran Cabin’s latest IoT solution aims to make aircraft interior maintenance more efficient by turning real-time cabin data into smart, actionable insights. The system works autonomously to detect issues early, streamline repairs, and keep operators fully informed through a user-friendly digital portal.
Easy to retrofit, and compatible with a wide range of aircraft, the technology is designed to airlines improve reliability, reduce downtime, and deliver a smoother passenger experience.
Sustainable Cabin
Winner: Diehl Aviation’s Eco Bin
Diehl Aviation’s Eco Bin is the world’s first fully recyclable overhead stowage compartment. Made from a lightweight thermoplastic sandwich material, the bins reduce fuel consumption and emissions while meeting strict safety standards.
Made with fewer components and an energy-efficient manufacturing process, the Eco Bin is eco-friendly, efficient, and future-ready for aircraft interiors. The judging panel was impressed, and awarded Diehl Aviation its second trophy in this category in two years.
Accessibility
Winner: Diehl Aviation’s Space³ lavatory
Diehl Aviation’s Space³ onboard lavatory unit makes air travel more inclusive with a smart, accessible cabin design that ensures dignity and independence for passengers with reduced mobility. Featuring wide doors, foldable sinks, and a unique sliding mat system, the lavatory offers comfort and safety while also optimising space with four lavatories and additional seating.
By reducing weight by up to 80kg compared with some lavatory units flying today, Space³ not only meets upcoming accessibility regulations, but also supports airlines in cutting fuel costs and unlocking new revenue potential.
University
Winner: Tongji University’s ‘Ultra-lightweight Display System’
Developed by a team from Tongji University (with some occasional development advice from Boeing), the ‘Ultra-lightweight Display System’ is a concept that reimagines in-flight entertainment by using compact projectors and gesture recognition in place of traditional seatback screens.
Projectors integrated into the Passenger Service Unit can project content onto tray tables, windows or partitions, which could reduce system weight, save fuel, and free-up cabin space. With intuitive controls and PED compatibility, this innovative student-led solution would offer airlines a more sustainable IFEC option and passengers a flexible, immersive experience.
Among the USPs that led the judging panel to select Tongji University as the winner were the potential weight saving when replacing seatback IFEC systems, as well as the developers’ plans to include a feature to offset any jitters in the projected image created by turbulence. Tongji University wins the University category of the Crystal Cabin Award for the second year in a row.
If you would like to be considered for next year’s Crystal Cabin Award, enquire via https://www.crystal-cabin-award.com/
