Aircraft Design

Aircraft design, engineering and cabin interior companies

This category covers firms that design aircraft, aircraft modifications and, above all, cabin interiors. Work ranges from concept styling of VIP and business jet cabins to engineering of seats, galleys, lighting, flooring, glassware and upholstery, and on to certification of the finished installation. Airlines, completion centres, aircraft owners and OEMs are the main customers.

Any change to a certified aircraft has to be approved, usually through a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from EASA or the FAA. When choosing a design partner, check whether it holds an EASA Part 21J design organisation approval or works with one, and whether its parts and materials already meet flammability and crashworthiness requirements for the aircraft type.

Design firms in the directory

We list 74 aircraft design and interiors companies, most in the United States (29), the United Kingdom (13), France (6) and Switzerland (4).

• Airbus Corporate Jets: the Airbus business jet line.
• Boeing Business Jets: Boeing's VIP aircraft division, including the BBJ 787.
• Andrew Winch Designs: design studio working on private jets and superyachts.
• Avianor: aircraft interiors specialist with more than 20 years in the sector.
• Aviation Glass: cabin glassware supplier based in Amsterdam.
• Beadlight: aircraft cabin lighting.

Design work usually connects to aircraft manufacturers, aircraft maintenance and MRO shops that carry out installations, and avionics companies for flight deck upgrades. We have written about how cabin design can cut airline emissions and EPR versus N1 engine indication in cockpit design.