This year’s Crystal Cabin Award winners were revealed at a gala dinner in Hamburg, Germany, on 8 April 2025. The awards honour innovations in aircraft cabin technology.
This year’s awards go to Collins Aerospace, Cathay Pacific, Safran Cabin, Diehl Aviation and Tongji University. Cathay Pacific and Diehl Aviation picked up awards in two categories each. An international panel of 27 experts (including Adam Gavine, editor of sister magazine Aircraft Interiors International) selected the seven winners from a pool of submissions.
“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,” said 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.”
Cabin Technologies winner: Collins Aerospace for galley.ai
Collins Aerospace’s galley.ai system is designed to bring intelligence and connectivity to onboard meal service 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, and provides direct information to passengers throughout the flight. By linking galley equipment, crew tools and cabin interfaces, galley.ai is designed to create 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 in a way that lowers crew workload.
Judges’ Choice – Airline Innovation winner: Cathay Pacific for Gallery In The Skies
Cathay Pacific’s Gallery in the Skies transforms the cabin into an airborne art space, showcasing 30 unique works by artists with deep ties to Hong Kong – one 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.
Passenger Comfort winner: Cathay Pacific, JPA Design and Reaktor for IFEC: In-Flight Entertainment & Control
Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite introduces an IFEC system designed to unify IFE and cabin environment control like never before. 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. Connected to the aircraft’s systems, the interface even allows passengers in all classes to check lavatory availability from their seat. As the judges noted during their deliberations, the ability to integrate WC availability has been a long-standing 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 for Safran Connected Interiors
Safran Cabin’s new IoT solution aims to transform aircraft interior maintenance by turning real-time cabin data into smart, actionable insights. The system works autonomously to detect issues early, streamline repairs, and keep operators informed through a digital portal. The technology is designed to be easy to retrofit and compatible with a wide range of aircraft, helping airlines to improve reliability, reduce downtime, and deliver a smoother passenger experience.
Sustainable Cabin winner: Diehl Aviation for Eco Bin
Diehl Aviation’s Eco Bin is a fully recyclable overhead stowage compartment. Made from a lightweight thermoplastic sandwich material, it is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions while meeting strict safety standards. The solution has fewer components, and is made in an manufacturing process designed to be energy-efficient. The judging panel was deeply impressed by the “industry first nature of the winning entry and its ability to substantially reduce the environmental impact over the aircraft’s lifetime”. It is Diehl Aviation’s second trophy in this category in two years.
Accessibility winner: Diehl Aviation for Space³
Diehl Aviation’s Space³ is intended to redefine inclusive air travel with a smart, accessible cabin design that ensures dignity and independence for passengers with reduced mobility. Featuring wide doors, foldable sinks and a sliding mat system, it is designed to offer comfort and safety while optimising space with four lavatories and additional seating. As well as meeting upcoming accessibility regulations, Space³ is designed to reduce weight by up to 80kg.
Claudia Friedrich, jury member and managing director of interface design at zweigrad design, said: “We listened, learnt and adapted – us and our product. This was not only a statement, but also a reality lived by Diehl Aviation’s Space3 to ensure fairness and dignity for everyone while travelling.”
University winner: Tongji University in cooperation with Boeing for Ultra-lightweight Display System
Developed by a team from Tongji University, the Ultra-lightweight Display System reimagines IFE by using compact projectors and gesture recognition in place of traditional seatback screens. Integrated into the Passenger Service Unit, it can project content onto tray tables, windows or partitions – reducing system weight, saving fuel and freeing up cabin space. The student-led solution is designed for intuitive controls and PED compatibility, to 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 and its development partner Boeing as the winners, were the “enormous” potential weight saving when replacing seatback IFEC systems, as well as the developers’ plans to include a feature to avoid jitter in the projected image induced by turbulence. Tongji University wins the Crystal Cabin Award in the University category for the second year in a row.
