Qantas is set to revolutionize in-flight comfort with its upcoming Project Sunrise flights, featuring unique and customizable cabin lighting inspired by the Australian landscape. The new lighting design aims to minimize jetlag and enhance customer wellbeing on ultra-long-haul journeys.
The new lighting system is the result of over 150 hours of testing at the Airbus Customer Definition Centre in Hamburg. Representatives from Qantas, Airbus, the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, and Caon Design Office collaborated to create and test hundreds of lighting patterns and sequences in an Airbus A350 cabin mockup. This extensive testing led to the development of 12 unique lighting scenes tailored for Project Sunrise flights.
The Charles Perkins Centre provided insights based on state-of-the-art circadian rhythm modeling to determine the optimal lighting conditions for promoting sleep, wakefulness, and overall circadian adaptation. These recommendations were implemented and tested during the workshops in Hamburg. The lighting sequences are designed to help passengers adjust to their destination time zone even before they land.
Some of the key lighting scenes include:
- Awake: Broad-spectrum, blue-enriched lighting to help customers stay awake and adjust to the destination time zone.
- Sunset: A transition from daylight to a night sky with moonlight and slow cloud effects to relax passengers and prepare them for sleep.
- Sunrise: Dynamic lighting that simulates an Australian sunrise, moving from the front to the rear of the cabin.
Enhancing Passenger Experience
The Wellbeing Zone, located between the Premium Economy and Economy cabins, will feature soft blue-enriched light to create a daytime sky effect, and a moonlight-inspired scene for relaxation during dark periods. The zone includes sculpted wall panels with integrated stretch handles, a guided on-screen exercise program, a hydration station, and various refreshments. The Wellbeing Zone has been recognized for its passenger comfort, winning the ‘Passenger Comfort’ category at the Crystal Cabin Awards.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace emphasized the importance of the scientifically informed lighting design for Project Sunrise flights. “These world-first flights have been an opportunity for us to work with experts and rethink the inflight experience with a focus on customer wellbeing and combating jetlag,” he said.
Customized Lighting for First Suites
For the first time, Qantas will offer fully customizable lighting sequences in its six enclosed First Suites. Passengers can choose their preferred time zone lighting for the duration of their flight, enhancing comfort and adaptability.
Dr. Sveta Postnova from the Charles Perkins Centre added, “The new lighting scenarios were developed to optimize the circadian effects of light during flights while considering light appearance, ambience, safety, and hardware requirements.”
Qantas revealed the customized lighting schemes at Airbus’ Airspace Customer Showroom in Toulouse, where a life-size mock-up of the Project Sunrise Wellbeing Zone was displayed.
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