At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Lufthansa Technik and Schott presented a new development in cabin lighting systems for aircraft. For the first time, aircraft owners can take advantage of LED technology while avoiding the color changes that occur when LEDs age. The new Nicemood system, which has already been approved for use in aircraft, mixes and regulates the light output of different diodes, for what the developers call significant cost savings compared with traditional lighting and a dramatic improvement in lighting quality.

With classic LED systems, colors change over the life of the LEDs; the light they emit becomes uneven and can be perceived as unpleasant. Nicemood's control system avoids this effect through sensor technology and a variable mixture of lights from different diodes.

The newly developed control system compensates even for age-related color changes in individual diodes to ensure that the end result is always as desired. Nicemood thus cuts maintenance work and expense (following the initial installation) while simultaneously improving the cabin mood perceived by the passenger, according to its promoters. Nicemood is available both in white and an individually controllable full-color spectrum that includes white.

The system tailors illumination to passenger needs with simple controls and minimal installation work, according to Lufthansa Technik and Schott, and is suitable for any size aircraft and can be integrated in any cabin.

The lighting system consists of four elements: Lufthansa Technik's wireless access point and interface unit; Schott's Heliojet TCS (True Colour Stabilization); the actual lighting system; and the control system interface, which can be either the lead passenger's smartphone or a touchscreen control used by the cabin crew.