Advances in LED lighting are transforming aircraft cabin lighting from being all about basic functional illumination to something much more sophisticated and even personalised, writes Claude Zhu.
Back in 2017, the Australian flag carrier Qantas launched its ‘Project Sunrise’, which researched ultra-long-haul flights connecting Australia directly to anywhere in the world, with the chosen aircraft Airbus A350-1000.
The inaugural flights are scheduled for take-off in mid-2026, starting with Sydney to London and New York. This research aims to optimise cabin interior and service design through medical and scientific findings.
Modern aircrafts are seeing the increasing significance of interior cabin lighting, which is reported to be the fastest-growing segment of the aircraft lighting market.
Thanks to LED technologies, aircraft cabin lighting has evolved from basic functional illumination to sophisticated set-ups that enhances flight safety, passenger wellbeing, and operational efficiency.
Apart from LED, other technologies such as OLED, fibreoptics, electroluminescent films, and light guides can also bring excellent results in aircraft lighting applications.
Today’s aircraft cabin lighting consists of functional lighting, emergency lighting and the newly emerged ‘mood’ lighting.
FUNCTIONAL LIGHTING
Functional lighting provides specific illumination levels (minimum and maximum) required by the standards, in different areas of the aircraft cabin, including doors, passenger seating areas, aisles, and lavatories, ensuring there is adequate visibility for passengers and crew members to move around safely.
It also includes illuminated ordinance signs such as ‘NO SMOKING’ and ‘FASTEN SEAT BELTS’.
EMERGENCY LIGHTING
As a critical aspect of cabin lighting, emergency lighting involves illuminated pathways and exit signs.
Power-free and lightweight featuring photoluminescent strips have recently been put into use. These can guide passengers to emergency exits in case of cabin lighting failure and evacuation.
MOOD LIGHTING
Latest studies suggest that lighting is the most influential factor for visual comfort in the aircraft cabin.
Mood lighting aims to create a relaxing and visually appealing cabin environment. Various colours and intensities are utilised to set different moods during phases of the flight. For instance, soft, warm tones might be used during boarding and meal services, while cooler, calming colours are selected for resting periods.
Also, personalised lighting experiences can be offered to the business and first-class cabins. These allow passengers to choose their own lighting settings based on mood and preferences.
Coordinated lighting effects that synchronise with movies, music, or games could create a truly immersive environment.
Additionally, human-centric lighting (HCL) is encouraged to optimise lighting conditions to better align with the human circadian system.
It improves sleep quality, mood, and cognitive performance for passengers’ wellbeing, especially on long-haul flights.
GLARE CONTROL
Aircraft lighting has the highest level of safety and comfort for passengers and crew. Owing to the selection of luminaires, space and geometric characteristics, indirect and reflected light from the ceiling and walls plays a major role in the cabin illumination, in the form of diffuse reflection.
To prevent disability and discomfort glare to the passengers, specular reflection shall be minimised.
Regulations may set limits on the angle and intensity of light sources to avoid reflections on cabin surfaces, windows, and screens. Besides, interior material selection for their smoothness or texture, colour, and size also needs to be considered.
BRAND IDENTITY
Distinctive interior lighting schemes could reinforce brand identity. The luminaire provider, artist, and the airline can all work together carefully to produce lighting schemes that can create a memorable and unique atmosphere, one that sets a specific airline apart from its competitors.
CONCLUSION
Aircraft cabin lighting has come a long way from its humble origins as functional lighting.
Today, aircraft cabin lighting is a crucial element that influences passenger safety, comfort, and brand identity.
With technology continuing to advance and passenger expectations evolving, the future of aircraft cabin lighting holds exciting possibilities for enhancing the flying experience in new and innovative ways.
Claude Zhu is a senior lighting engineer in Melbourne, Australia.
- This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the July/August edition of Lighting Journal. To read the full article just click on the link to the edition.
