IFPL Group marks 30 years of cabin innovation
This is a special feature from the June/July 2026 Seating & IFEC issue of PAX Tech, on page 40.
IFPL Group’s 2030 USB-A & USB-C Combination Module
IFPL Group is marking its 30th anniversary in 2026 and, as a leader in practical innovation in the aviation market, the company has kept its goal of being a designer and problem solver for IFEC in focus since its inception.
For Geoff Underwood, Owner and CEO of IFPL Group, the mindset of understanding customers’ challenges has shaped the U.K. and Isle of Wight-based company for three decades. He paints a picture of a company that has seen significant technical evolution throughout its tenure but holds an unwavering commitment to teamwork and collaboration at its core.
Geoff Underwood, Owner and CEO of IFPL Group
“We have always been a company built by people who care deeply about what they do and who are passionate about delivering the best possible solutions for our customers. We challenge each other, support each other and share a common commitment to doing things properly,” Underwood tells PAX Tech in June.
From simple to scalable
A lot has changed since IFPL Group’s founding in 1996, not least aircraft cabin interiors and the general inflight experience.
“Passengers boarded with a book or magazine, watched the inflight movie and expected very little; the experience was enough,” Underwood explains. “I do not think many of us could have predicted just how much personal technology and sustainability would shape the future of aircraft interiors.”
Underwood says the company began with a very simple goal: to solve a costly and frustrating problem for both airlines and passengers.
An original audio sketch by Geoff Underwood
“In the mid-90s, the most common passenger complaint associated with technology in air travel was poor quality inflight audio,” he remembers. “The audio jacks fitted in aircraft seats were prone to damage and often failed after only a few thousand insertions.”
This was costly and created significant maintenance challenges for airlines, as well as negatively impacting the onboard experience.
“The industry had long accepted this as the norm, but we saw it as an opportunity to go back to basic design principles,” Underwood reveals. “We focused on understanding the problem and finding a better way to solve it. We created a more durable, reliable alternative – and our Long-Life Audio Jack was born.”
IFPL Group’s Long-Life Audio Jack is capable of more than 100,000 insertions, providing significant advancement over existing in-service jacks of the time.
Underwood calls the product “fundamental" for IFPL Group and notes that the first major achievement for the company came in 1999 with the first big order for 10,000 units.
“This saw us move from home production into our first commercial facility,” he explains.
Evolving to meet expectations
From there, IFPL Group expanded its product range beyond audio, evolving in tandem with passenger expectations and cabin technology to supply broader cabin solutions. The progression meant taking on more complex challenges and expanding the product range through audio, IFEC and PCUs into cabin power and LED lighting.
Underwood notes another significant milestone for the company was the acquisition of Cobalt Aerospace in 2021, calling it a “perfect complement” to the products IFPL was already developing in the aviation space.
IFPL Group acquired Cobalt Aerospace in 2021
“The simplicity of Cobalt Spectrum LED Mood Lighting with its mesh technology and true plug-and-play installation was an evolution of that same principle that we started out with,” he points out. “Forming long-lasting solutions for airline challenges through practical and smart engineering.”
More recently, IFPL Group’s Transform In-Seat Power solution marks a strategic achievement in its growth, responding to passenger demand with an in-seat power system designed around flexibility, maintainability and retrofit simplicity. But for Underwood, the real innovation is not any single feature or product, but rather the ability to create products that are simple to install, easy to maintain and flexible enough to adapt as technology and passenger expectations continue to evolve.
“That combination of practicality, innovation and future proofing has been central to IFPL's growth and reputation over the last 30 years,” he says. “The products have changed, but the reason behind them has remained the same. It has and always will be about solving problems effectively with commitment and passion.”
Business built on relationships
In addition to remaining focused on the company’s reason for continued innovation, Underwood reflects on the importance of the people who have been an integral part of IFPL Group’s story.
“Strong businesses are built on strong relationships,” he says. “Products, technologies and market demands will change over time, but trust remains constant.”
From the beginning, IFPL Group prioritized building long-term partnerships rather than quick wins. Underwood emphasizes that trust is earned through years of consistently delivering.
Cobalt Spectrum LED Mood Lighting features mesh technology and true plug-and-play installation
“We have been fortunate to work with many of our customers for decades, and those relationships have been one of IFPL's greatest strengths,” he tells PAX Tech.
Those partnerships have also played a significant role in shaping the company’s products. For Underwood, some of IFPL’s most successful innovations have come from listening to customers, understanding operational challenges and working together to find a solution.
“When you develop that level of trust, customers are willing to share not only the problems they are facing today, but also the challenges they expect to face in the future,” he explains.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Reflecting on the anniversary, Underwood says the achievement that stands out most is not a single product launch, customer order or award. It is reaching the milestone as a team.
“Every engineer, designer, production team member, administrator, salesperson and support colleague has contributed to our success. Each person has brought their own skills, ideas and dedication, helping to shape the business into what it is today. That spirit is at the heart of IFPL,” Underwood shares.
He notes that every success along the way, whether integrating products into limited cabin spaces, reducing maintenance burdens or creating intelligent systems that can evolve alongside changing requirements, has been the result of individuals working together to achieve a common goal.
“Our anniversary celebrations will be focused on every person having played a part in the success,” Underwood concludes. “We cannot think of a better way to describe the journey we have been on.”
