Crystal Cabin Awards | Inmarsat Launches OneFi | Lufthansa Systems’ 14th Airline Forum | Morgan-Stanley Report | Boeing | Avolon & Gol Partnership | Other News

CRYSTAL CABIN

As part of the virtual Aircraft Interiors Expo 2021, the Crystal Cabin Awards in the special categories “Clean and Safe Air Travel” and “Judges’ Choice Award” have been presented for the first time. French cabin interiors specialist Safran won over the international expert jury in both categories. The two special categories were developed by a task force of jury members in response to the global coronavirus pandemic and its impact on aviation worldwide. 2022 is expected to see the leading international industry prize take place in person again as part of the key global trade show, the Aircraft Interiors Expo, drawing the who’s who of the commercial aviation industry to Hamburg as it regularly does.

“Clean & Safe Air Travel” is targeted at innovations for aircraft in the areas of health, hygiene, safety, and cleanliness. The “Judges’ Choice Award” has been designed for entries that would otherwise have been submitted in one of the eight regular categories, including Cabin Systems and In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity. These two special categories were developed by a task force of the Crystal Cabin Award Association, which is led by Hamburg Aviation, in collaboration with members of the expert jury, spread over four continents. For the first time, five finalists were shortlisted per category, rather than three. The awards ceremony for the eight main categories of this globally recognized prize for cabin innovations and on-board products was also broadcast in TV format in March 2021. For the virtual presentation of awards in the two new special categories, the digital Aircraft Interiors Expo on 15 September represented the ideal setting.

Hygiene concepts for the aircraft cabin competed neck-and-neck in the “Clean and Safe Air Travel” category. In the end, Safran Cabin took the honors with its “Beacon Clean Lavatory”. This innovative bathroom concept represented the company’s response to increased passenger hygiene expectations, combining antibacterial surfaces with hands-free features. Speaking from Hamburg’s ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research, Carsten Laufs, Vice President Product and Innovation Management of Crystal Cabin partner Diehl Aviation congratulated the winners.

INMARSAT

Inmarsat, a leader in global mobile satellite communications,  announced the launch of its innovative new OneFi customer experience platform for airlines. The first-of-its-kind solution will serve as a catalyst to monetize inflight connectivity by bringing a host of onboard services together within a single portal interface, which passengers can easily access using their own personal devices.

OneFi delivers a rich airline-branded digital platform to enhance the passenger experience onboard flights. It allows passengers to order food and beverages, purchase seat upgrades, receive the latest flight and destination information, and sign-up to the airline’s frequent flyer programs, all in real-time from the comfort of their seat. In addition, passengers can browse the internet, stream videos and audio, shop online and enjoy other e-commerce offerings, using high-speed inflight broadband that airlines could choose to offer free-of-charge, funded through OneFi’s sponsorship and advertising features.

The launch of OneFi comes at a critical time for airlines, with the global pandemic having accelerated passenger demand for digital inflight experiences. Inmarsat’s recent 2021 Passenger Confidence Tracker, the largest and most comprehensive global survey of its kind since the pandemic began, found that digital solutions that keep passengers connected and minimize their contact with cabin crew and fellow passengers can go a long way in boosting confidence. In addition, out of the 10,000 respondents worldwide, 41% believed inflight Wi-Fi had increased in importance after the pandemic.

Philip Balaam, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said: “For many years, Inmarsat has advocated the vast commercial opportunities of inflight connectivity. However, until now, airlines have struggled to realize the full potential of the business model. OneFi is a step change for those looking to monetize their Wi-Fi services and ensure they keep pace with evolving passenger needs. It will empower a digital transformation in the cabin, which is especially important at this critical time for the aviation industry.

“OneFi allows airlines to improve their brand experience and secure passenger loyalty, with the flexibility to incorporate their own services and use existing and new partners, such as content providers, advertisers and retailers. We are in advanced discussions with leading airlines about adopting this innovative new platform and expect to see a rollout with our first OneFi customer by the end of this year.”

In recent years, airlines have continued to increase their focus on unlocking new revenue streams through broadband-enabled ancillary services. The market for digital inflight advertising alone is forecast to grow from $266 million today to $3.3 billion by 2030, representing a 10-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.9% between 2020 and 2030, according to Valour Consulting. The launch of OneFi is a significant step in turning that untapped commercial opportunity into a reality.

What truly sets OneFi apart is its industry grade targeting features, media inventory and calls-to-action that are made available to the airline and its partners. These ensure that content is contextual and relevant to the individual passenger. It also enables partners to engage in more meaningful ways with passengers and boost sales lead generation rates. The platform’s intuitive, user-friendly interface will enable airlines to boost passenger take-up rates and create a frictionless funnel to purchase.

In addition, OneFi is network agnostic and uses open architecture, meaning it can integrate with any technology infrastructure and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) used by airlines, ensuring a uniform experience across mixed aircraft fleets. The platform is also scalable, giving airline customers the flexibility to add new third-party services over time and helping to future proof their onboard offering.

Inmarsat is transforming global aviation by bringing complete connectivity to aircraft and flight paths across the world. It recently unveiled plans for ORCHESTRA, the communications network of the future, which will bring existing geosynchronous (GEO) satellites together with low earth orbit satellites (LEO) and terrestrial 5G to form an integrated, high-performance solution, unmatched by any existing or planned competitor offering. ORCHESTRA allows capacity to be boosted in high-density areas such as at airports, eliminating congested network ‘hot spots’ and ensuring the connectivity needs of aviation customers are met well into the future, with capacity scaled directly to match their requirements.

LUFTHANSA SYSTEMS

Lufthansa Systems will welcome around 500 participants to the 14th edition of the Airline Forum, one of the industry’s leading airline IT user community conferences. The airline IT provider is bringing together about 80 airlines from across the globe who use its Ground Operations and Commercial Solutions. During this year’s edition of the Airline Forum, entitled “Back in the sky,” the user community will continue its dialogue in a fully virtual environment in which attendees will learn about forward-looking solutions and pioneering technologies for managing dynamic market situations.

Olivier Krueger and Dr. Thomas Wittmann, both CEOs of Lufthansa Systems, will kick off the event with their opening remarks, welcoming speakers from Air Canada, Avianca Holdings, Cathay Pacific Airways, Eurowings, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Lufthansa and Trans States Holdings. Participants will be able to put together their own individual programs by choosing from a range of 48 presentations and workshops spread over the two days of the event.

“The world is changing, and the aviation industry is constantly facing new challenges. Thanks to our close partnership with our customers, we understand how this dynamic environment affects their business,” said Olivier Krueger, CEO of Lufthansa Systems. “We greatly value this mutual exchange with and within the community and consider it vital to the successful recovery and sustainable future of our industry.”

Latest developments unveiled for Lufthansa Systems’ NetLine and Commercial Solutions

The Airline Forum will break new ground by showcasing Lufthansa Systems’ latest developments covering ground operations and commercial management processes.

In keeping with the NetLine vision of “together we connect to make the best decision ahead of time,” Lufthansa Systems is pointing the way to a future of connected, cloud-native software. From network and schedule planning, through codeshare, crew and load management, to operations control, NetLine improves productivity and speeds up decision-making, rollout and execution, increasing revenue and reducing costs.

The NetLine/HubDesigner was developed in response to the current market situation, where demand and the competitive landscape are subject to dynamic and sweeping change. The solution uses AI to create the best (multi-)hub network at an unmatched speed. Changed schedules also mean changed codeshare connections. SchedConnect helps airlines manage their codeshare operations by automating connection building and schedule exchange. Another critical bottleneck in ramping up and down networks is crews and their qualifications. Lufthansa Systems has developed a new Qualification and Training Management module for NetLine/Crew to always have up-to-date information on the certification state of cockpit and cabin crews and plan qualification and re-qualification in due time.

Lufthansa Systems has also designed sophisticated solutions that perfectly support revenue management and pricing processes, the cornerstones of an airline’s commercial strategy. The ProfitLine/Price fare management solution helps airlines keep fares profitable and competitive, while the Revenue Integrity software keeps the inventory up to date.

“Lufthansa Systems has 25 years of experience in building forward-looking IT solutions and is committed to helping airlines move forward,” said Dr. Thomas Wittmann, CEO of Lufthansa Systems. “Airlines benefit from our scalable solutions that enable our customers to better cope with volatile demand through automation, optimization, and data-driven decision-making.”

MORGAN-STANLEY

The White House aims to advance the future of sustainable fuels in American aviation. Last week, the Biden Administration published a factsheet on the future of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), targeting carbon neutrality in the aviation sector by 2050. The new initiative aims to produce 3 bn gallons of sustainable fuel, reduce aviation emissions by 20% by 2030, and grow good-paying union jobs. Today, aviation (including all non-military flights within and departing from the U.S.) represents ~11% of United States transportation-related emissions. Due to this, and the increased focus on sustainability throughout the industry, several airlines have already made commitments to ramp up the use of SAF and advance sustainability across their operations: United (UAL) announced a new goal to reduce its carbon emissions intensity by 50% compared to 2019 by 2035 and also committed to purchasing 1.5bn gallons of SAF over the next 20 years from Alder Fuels, Delta (DAL) committed to replacing 10% of its current jet fuel use with SAFs from 3 producers (Neste, Gevo, and Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels), American (AAL) plans to procure 10 million gallons of SAF from Prometheus Fuels by 2025, Alaska (ALK) offers the purchase of SAF to offset corporate travel on key routes, Southwest (LUV) is partnering with the National Renewable Energy Lab, and JetBlue (JBLU) is committed to electric and hydrogen aircraft development. We generally see the industry as broad beneficiaries from both increased fuel efficiencies as well as more commercially viable solutions for fuel.

BOEING

The Boeing Company named Ziad S. Ojakli as the company’s executive vice president of government operations effective October 1, 2021.

In this role, Ojakli will lead Boeing’s public policy efforts, serve as chief lobbyist for the global enterprise, and oversee Boeing Global Engagement, the company’s global philanthropic organization. He will report to Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun and will serve on the company’s Executive Council. In this role, Ojakli succeeds Marc Allen, Boeing’s Chief Strategy Officer, who has served as interim executive vice president of Government Operations since this past June.

“Ziad is a proven executive with an impressive track record of leading public policy and government relations operations for global companies,” said Calhoun. “His broad experience serving in executive roles in government and the private sector will contribute to our engagement with our stakeholders as we continue our focus on safety, quality and transparency, and transforming our company for the future. I also want to thank Marc Allen for his impactful leadership of our Government Operations organization in recent months as it has continued to advance our company’s policy priorities.”

Ojakli joins Boeing following a successful and diverse career in senior global government relations roles in the automotive and finance industries in addition to serving within the White House administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Most recently, Ojakli served as the managing partner and senior vice president of Softbank from 2018-20, where he created and led the investment company’s first global government affairs operation in support of all legislative, regulatory and political matters for the company. Prior to joining Softbank, Ojakli spent 14 years at Ford Motor Company as group vice president, where he led a global team that amplified the company’s core business objectives and managed interactions with governments in 110 markets around the world. In that role, he also directed Ford’s philanthropic arm devoted to supporting global causes.

Previously, Ojakli served in the White House as Principal Deputy for Legislative Affairs for President George W. Bush from 2001-04. Earlier, Ojakli was Chief of Staff and Policy Director for U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell and he began his career in the office of U.S. Senator Dan Coats.

Ojakli currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. and he is a board member of The Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Ojakli holds a bachelor’s degree in American Government from Georgetown University.

AVOLON

Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, announces a partnership with Gol, Brazil’s largest airline and Grupo Comporte, Brazil’s leading transport operator, to commercialize an eVTOL ride sharing platform in Brazil.

Avolon, Gol and Grupo Comporte will collaborate to identify and target local partners, infrastructure and certification requirements across a range of commercial models, launching one of the world’s first eVTOL ride sharing businesses. As part of the agreement, Gol and Grupo Comporte has committed to purchase or lease up to 250 VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft.

The VA-X4, manufactured by Vertical Aerospace, will be the most advanced and safest eVTOL in the market on its introduction in 2024. Avolon is a launch customer for the aircraft which can transport four passengers and one pilot distances of 100 miles at up to 200 miles per hour. eVTOLs are central to the future of transport. They introduce the ultra-short-haul aircraft category to commercial aviation and will revolutionize air travel with VA-X4 zero emissions aircraft.

This announcement means Avolon already has commitments for over half of its order for 500 VA-X4 aircraft which was announced in June 2021.

OTHER NEWS

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• We really believe the importance of Laser Diodes will be in your future. Don’t think so? Check this article out – Laser Diodes – May The Force Be With You | Seeking Alpha Here is one reason: “Light passing down optical glass fibre is able to transmit much more data per second than electricity passing down copper wire. Moreover, wave-division multiplexing techniques enable a single fibre to transmit multiple beams of light, each of a slightly different wavelength, enabling a fibre optic cable to handle even more data and supporting the expansion of the internet that we have today.” And, this is really of value airborne!
• It looks like Airbus is developing a fully electric vehicle: Airbus reveals the next generation of CityAirbus – Helicopters – Airbus