“Epsilon Aerospace is a leading aircraft cabin interior solutions provider for airlines. We believe in Safety First, Quality Always.” – Naveen Chawla, Ceo, Epsilon Aerospace Private Limited.
Cabin Interiors is one of the most critical maintenance elements in an aircraft. It comprises of design of aircraft interior systems and components like aircraft lighting, seats, galley, lavatory, IFE, storage bins, etc. A soiled, battered, or torn seat cover on an aircraft is more than an eyesore. It could also lead to a safety hazard. Hence, it is a highly specialized job that needs a sharp eye with pinpoint perfection. Also, attention to details and quality and deep understanding of the material, air safety, regulations, design, engineering, and delicate artistry.
‘Epsilon Aerospace Private Limited’ is one such MRO built on a strong ethos of safety & quality, encompassing all of the above. Recently, Epsilon Aerospace achieved its ISO 9001:2015 accreditation from TUV SUD for ‘Manufacturing and repair of aircraft cabin furnishing parts.’ This indicates a robust Quality Monitoring System implemented by Epsilon Aerospace.
“This certification is a testimonial to the highest quality standards deployed by Epsilon Aerospace team in terms of repair & manufacturing for our aviation customers,” says Naveen.
A Step beyond cabin refurbishments …
Epsilon Aerospace provides a turn-key solution to airlines for aircraft interiors. This ranges from industrial design to engineering, manufacturing, and retrofit or refurbishment services. Epsilon Aerospace has expertise in materials for passenger seat covers like leather, fabric, e-leather, Ultraleather & Enduralite. They also successfully delivered covers for crew seats. Epsilon Aerospace offers nose-to-tail solutions to the aircraft cabin in collaboration with EASA DOA partners.
Epsilon Aerospace is one of the first facilities in India to produce Passenger and Crew seat covers with DGCA 21G certification in India. The approval is as per the 21G of the Civil Aviation Requirements, or CAR, which lays down guidelines and procedures for the aviation sector. CAR 21G covers an aircraft cabin and its parts. Until recently, MRO players in India only had the CAR 145 approval. This allowed them to repair a seat cover instead of replacing it with a new one. Apart from seat covers, the approval covers carpets, curtains, and other parts used in the seats or the cabin.
Commenting on this milestone certification, Naveen adds, “We are extremely thankful to the DGCA India for this certification. The entire journey of getting a Part 21G approval has been a great learning experience. I sincerely appreciate the efforts put in by all the DCGA India officials to support our team and us for implementing it within the current DGCA regulations.”
“The challenge, however, lies with the operators understanding the difference between a Part 21G organization versus a Part 145 organization. As the operators in India are still more focussed on cost-savings, they are a bit slow in adapting to the quality standards of Part 21G organization,” he further adds.
This approval also enables the manufacturing of plastic parts used in an aircraft cabin like the seat trays and armrests.
Epsilon Aerospace is a DGCA approved facility to repair seat plastic components. It is one of the few companies to have a dedicated paint-booth to paint rebuilt parts. Besides, they provide aircraft operators with serge carpet along with engineering solutions to change the original carpet for a more lightweight or as per the customer’s preference.
The future of the aircraft interior market is glazed and shiny. As aircraft interiors evolved, they have become more sophisticated with bright galley, re-configurable cabin seating, autonomous business aircraft, electric propulsion, urban air mobility, etc. When asked about the market competition and how Epsilon deals with challenges, Naveen says, “We take the competition in a positive stride. The aviation market is on a growth trajectory in India and the Indian Sub-continent region. All Indian MRO service providers will therefore play a key role to support the industry’s growth, region-wide.”
Currently, a large part of MRO work is outsourced out of India. This is primarily because of the supply chain and regulations. “However, we see it as a huge opportunity at Epsilon, as we are the pioneers in this industry. Epsilon Aerospace is firmly positioned to provide global standards with regards to the material used along with the designs and the fabrication,” he further adds.
Cabin Interiors Markets
The Global aircraft cabin interiors market is projected to grow USD 32.7 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 13.2per cent as per the aircraft cabin interior report published in 2020.
Commenting on the history of the Indian aircraft interiors segment, Naveen says, “The aircraft cabin market in India is bifurcated into two major segments. The first segment comprises operators that have identified a safe and clean cabin as a hallmark for brand positioning. At the same time, there might be other operators that identify aircraft cabins as the first element where a significant amount of cost reductions occur. This might sometimes lead them to use sub-standard, non-approved material for repairs, local fabrications, or simply allowing broken cabins to be cannibalized. In those scenarios, it might present a challenge for such aircraft operators.”
However, the airlines slowly and steadily recognize the impact of a clean and airworthy aircraft cabin. Regulators have realized the importance of safety measures, designs, and challenging aspects of an aircraft cabin.
“We believe that regulatory developments will lead to a renewed focus on the safety parameters of the aircraft cabin. This will only standardize the industry in terms of performance requirements. Unlike in other areas of maintenance where a high level of standardization exists, currently, there is a lack of standardization in aircraft cabin repair & maintenance. We expect improvement in the standardization in the aircraft cabin arena as well. We foresee Indian aircraft interior companies gaining the capability of manufacturing cabin parts locally and providing them at a comparative rate,” comments Naveen on evolving Indian markets.
The COVID-19 impact
Post COVID-19 pandemic business people, politicians, celebrities, and even tourists opt to travel by private charters and air taxis as a safer, more comfortable, and convenient option for travel. Due to this, the demand for luxury and comfortable seating, healthy and hygienic lavatories, and efficient in-flight connectivity is steadily rising. This has pushed the aircraft interior markets towards greener pastures. But is the picture rosier for all interior aircraft companies as it looks?
When asked about the impact of the pandemic on Epsilon Aerospace, Naveen thoughtfully comments, “The current events have been both positive and otherwise, for us. The positive effect was that with many aircraft being re-delivered, the requirements from lessors to standardize the cabin at the EASA level created significant opportunities. It led to business improvement for us as component MRO and other Indian MRO’s. The downside is the operating uncertainty that affects the aviation industry worldwide. However, Epsilon Aerospace Team continued to work tirelessly with the aircraft operators in maintaining their cabin-standards, at all times.”
Increasing demand for in-flight entertainment systems, rise in premium economy seats, emerging markets in the aviation industry are key factors driving the market growth.
Expansion plans
Commenting on the expansion plans for Epsilon, Naveen says, “We will continue to focus on maintaining our niche. Our expertise lies in aircraft cabin design, engineering, and refurbishment. We will continue to provide full cabin management solutions to the airlines, with the highest standards of safety and quality, always.” Naveen signs off….
Epsilon Aerospace launched aircraft cabin solution services that were limited to seat covers. However, they have come a long way since then in positioning themselves as one of the leading Aviation MRO in aircraft cabin refurbishment.
