Aircraft cabin lighting guides us to our seats or the toilet, helps us see what we are eating, find something we’ve dropped or read a book, but there is so much more going on behind the scenes.
Aircraft cabin lighting today is grounded in science, with decades of research resulting in systems that are designed to improve the passenger experience by resetting circadian rhythms and reducing the effects of jet lag, as well as delivering operational and sustainability benefits to airlines.
Qantas’ latest research with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) for its ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise flights between the east coast of Australia and New York and London highlights the science behind today’s lighting. The lighting for the airline’s new Airbus A350-1000s, inspired by the colours of the Australian landscape and grounded in circadian science, is designed to minimise passenger jet lag and improve wellbeing on the 18-20-hour flights when they launch in 2026.
The partners have tested hundreds of lighting patterns and sequences, with lighting scenarios developed to “optimise the circadian effects of light at different times during flights while accounting for the light appearance, ambience, safety and hardware requirements onboard”, says the CPC’s associate professor Sveta Postnova, an expert in circadian modelling.
The resulting 12 lighting scenes include “Awake” featuring broad spectrum blue-enriched lighting to help passengers adjust to the destination time zone, making them alert and awake; “Sunset” — an immersive transition from daytime to dark that moves through the colours of sunset into a night sky, including moonlight and slow cloud effects, to relax passengers and prepare them for sleep; and “Sunrise” dynamic lighting for the transition from night to day, rolling from the front of the cabin to the rear.
The CPC advised the wavelengths for light that most strongly affect a person’s body clock, using melanopic illuminance — the impact of light on a person’s circadian rhythm. CPC says blue-enriched light with high melanopic illuminance helps shift the body clock, while long-wavelength light, such as red, with low melanopic illuminance, helps prevent the body clock shifting.
Aircraft lighting manufacturers have based their developments on science for years, with work intensifying as ultra-long-haul flights grow and passenger wellbeing takes centrestage. “The science behind the human circadian rhythm response is well known and has been established by university studies and testing, controlling exposure to daytime light cycles by incorporating specific colour wavelengths. Integrating these wavelengths into our colour palettes enables Collins’ lighting systems to positively impact passengers’ circadian rhythm,” says John Alotta, associate director of business development, lighting and galley inserts at Collins Aerospace, which has been supplying aircraft lighting systems since the 1970s.
Collins’ latest system, Hypergamut features a “complex circadian response algorithm” designed specifically to reduce passenger jet lag. The system mirrors morning lighting containing a higher content of blue and cyan lighting which triggers lower melatonin levels and wakefulness. As the day progresses, natural light contains more red wavelength content, prompting melatonin production and supporting a natural sleep cycle.
“Collins’ Hypergamut lighting can infuse or remove a specific blue spectrum wavelength to either promote wakefulness or encourage rest — all without visually altering the colour, appearance or brightness of the cabin,” he explains.
Diehl Aerospace has worked closely with LED manufacturers, including conducting simulations of long-haul flights, to understand how light spectra affects passenger wellbeing and physiological responses. “The key to success lies in providing sufficient light in critical wavelengths that influence human biology,” explains Jan Petersohn, manager business development.
“Scientific research means we can effectively reduce the discomfort flying brings to a passenger’s normal routine,” says Claire Sixsmith, commercial director at IFPL Group. Lighting can be used to mimic natural lighting cycles, creating sunrises and sunsets, filling the aircraft cabin with soft orange hues in the morning, and soothing lavender tones when it’s time to sleep through intensity, colour tuning and correlated colour temperature, says Sixsmith.
With more ultra-long-range flights expected to be launched in the future, lighting that supports passenger wellbeing will be more important than ever before. “We are convinced chronobiological lighting solutions will become a standard offering in long and ultra-long-range flights. Lighting has a major influence on the reactive elements of our brain chemistry and humans live their lives according to patterns set by our natural daylight cycles. Improving how our bodies react to travel across multiple time zones will be essential to mitigating these impacts and improving passenger wellbeing,” says Alotta.
Lighting is also playing a part in airline efforts to meet their ambitious sustainability targets, with innovation in lightweight and sustainable materials set to reduce overall aircraft weight and improve fuel efficiency, according to Diehl’s Petersohn.
Passengers can also expect developments in the visual spectacle of lighting. “Our goal is not only to meet operational needs, but also to create awe-inspiring passenger experiences that leave a lasting impression,” says Petersohn. Diehl plans to reveal “groundbreaking” technologies at this year’s aircraft interior industry show, Aircraft Interiors Expo 2025, in April, promising visual effects that are “nothing short of breathtaking”.
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