Panasonic Avionics Re-Defines Airline Seatback Experience With New Astrova IFE Seat-End Solution

Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) today unveiled the future of airline passenger engagement with the launch of its new in-flight entertainment (IFE) seat-end system, Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics.

Ken Sain, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said, “The launch of Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics, reflects a transformation in our business, how we develop our products, and how we engage with our customers. Astrova is the first in-flight entertainment solution to truly recognize the untapped potential of seatback IFE and provides airlines with a powerful and targeted way of engaging with their passengers every time they fly.”

Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics, demonstrates the company’s new approach to the market and its mindset in developing products and services to help airlines drive higher net promoter scores (NPS), enhance passenger engagement, increase revenue, and deliver operational efficiencies through IFE and connectivity. It leverages the latest consumer innovations to deliver unique passenger experiences that help carriers achieve their business goals. Several major airlines have selected Astrova, an innovative solution that also has the ability to provide easy, modular upgrades to in-cabin technology without full or costly interior changes.

An Enhanced Passenger Experience

On board Astrova-equipped aircraft, every passenger will immerse themselves in cinema-grade 4K OLED screens with High Dynamic Range (HDR) for the absolute best possible picture quality today. Passengers also will enjoy high fidelity audio through traditional wired connections or via Panasonic Avionics’ award-winning Bluetooth technology. By seamlessly interfacing their personal devices to the IFE system, passengers can create a multi-screen, multi-purpose environment which they are accustomed to at home.

As an industry first, Astrova by Panasonic Avionics will provide dedicated 67W of USB-C power to fast-charge passenger devices including notebooks and laptops.

Panasonic Avionics’ newest IFE seat-end solution also features programmable LED lighting that enhances passenger experience and enables airlines to optimize the cabin environment. Airlines can easily change the lighting to complement various phases of flight like food and beverage service. They also have the option to let passengers customize the lighting experience to their own personal preferences.

Maximizing Value to Airlines

Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics, redefines the role of the seatback IFE and reinforces its position as the most valuable opportunity for airlines to engage with their passengers. Because the average flight today is five hours, in-seat IFE offers a much longer dwell time than airline apps and other marketing channels. Astrova has been designed to provide significantly more opportunities to immerse passengers in an airline’s brand experience for both single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft.

The solution is a seamless blend of newly developed hardware, software, and enterprise solutions that revolutionize the in-flight entertainment experience. Astrova lets airlines optimize the seatback to their individual commercial objectives, transforming it into an easily configured, flexible channel that caters to the personal and business needs of passengers each time they board an aircraft.

It also will be augmented and enabled by Panasonic Avionics’ global in-flight connectivity services. This allows airlines to easily personalize passenger content to engage them on a deeper level by providing access to passengers’ personal subscription services and content such as Apple Music, Spotify, Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and HBO Max.

Maximizing the Return on Investment

Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics, re-imagines the ownership experience by delivering a range of commercial and operational benefits to airlines. Operational expenditure has been reduced by its ability to deliver faster on-wing maintenance and future upgrades.

Sustainability Contribution

To help airlines meet their sustainability goals, Astrova offers significant weight savings compared to other seat-end architectures, which will help airlines reduce fuel burn to help meet the airline industry’s climate goals.

Designed with modularity, scalability, and flexibility in mind, Astrova addresses the needs of modern airlines operating in today’s fast-changing market. Key hardware and software components can evolve over time to meet changing market requirements and satisfy ever-increasing passenger expectations. For example, a removable peripheral bar gives airlines the ability to easily add, upgrade or remove features such as USB power, Bluetooth audio, and other options.

It is also designed to be backward compatible with other Panasonic Avionics systems such as eX1, eX3, and NEXT, enabling operational commonality in areas such as media loading, spares and repairs for some line replaceable units, and cabin crew operations.

Andy Masson, Vice President of Product & Portfolio Development at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said, “Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics, not only redefines in-flight entertainment but does so using a modular architecture that enables airlines to tailor it to support their individual commercial needs. The engaging, immersive, and connected experience it creates for passengers is matched by an operational ease of ownership that makes Astrova a win-win for airlines.”

About Astrova, by Panasonic Avionics

The name is derived from a big idea – delivering in-flight experiences that are out of this world, that reach for the stars. Astro means “related to the stars” which conveys entertainment and flight. Strova is derived from “strive,” denoting our commitment and effort devoted to achieving amazing in-flight experiences for our customers and their passengers. Put together, Astrova represents the delivery of that commitment – the delivery of a reinvented flying experience.

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European Center Of Excellence For Advanced Air Mobility Created By Inmarsat With Generalitat De Catalunya

In a unique, world-first agreement between a company and a commercial airport, the regional Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) has joined with Inmarsat’s Velaris Partner Networkto transform Lleida-Alguaire Airport into a European center of excellence for advancing Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) innovation.

Situated approximately 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the city of Lleida, Lleida-Alguaire Airport is making its runway, full aerodrome and air traffic control services available to ground-breaking advanced air mobility research programs. With recent estimates anticipating 40 times more commercial uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be flying beyond visual line-of-sight by 2030 than commercial aircraft, Lleida stands to make a significant and positive contribution towards alleviating the air traffic capacity crunch.

With its new status as a center of excellence, the airport’s partnership with Inmarsat will drive investment and bring more businesses to the local economy of Lleida and the wider region by attracting the aeronautical industry to the area – leading to job creation in the region. As part of Inmarsat’s Velaris Partner Network, a consortium of partners will offer their research expertise to the hub, fostering international cooperation throughout Europe and beyond.

Designed and developed specifically for the commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) sector, Inmarsat Velaris combines a reliable and totally scalable Command and Control (C2) service with transformative software and services from the Inmarsat Velaris Partners, made up of some of the biggest names in the industry.  

By bringing together research of ATM and UTM technologies, and integrating it with the aeronautical industry, regulators and local government, Inmarsat and Lleida-Alguaire Airport can deliver on their shared goal of bringing societal, environmental and commercial benefits of advanced air mobility to the region. 

Anthony Spouncer, Inmarsat’s Senior Director of UAVs and UTM, said: “Inmarsat’s partnership with the Government of Catalonia and Lledia-Alguaire Airport marks a significant step forward in the development and testing of advanced air mobility solutions. By focusing on unification of airspace, we want to turn concepts into tangible realities that have real-world benefits. There is no time to waste when it comes to bringing our airspace into the future. As our consortium grows, we hope to welcome more partners as we establish Lledia-Alguaire as a world-leading facility.” 

In a move from theory to practice, research conducted by Inmarsat and its partners will take place in instalments up to four times per year in the form of real-life, practical demonstrations, as opposed to theoretical whitepapers and academic study, and will have numerous real-world applications. The efforts made to transform tests and theories into fully-fledged technologies will help to alleviate the major issues facing the aviation industry, particularly the capacity crunch and the problem of fragmented airspace.

Jordi Candela, General Director Aeroports de Catalunya, added: “Lledia-Alguaire Airport’s new status as a centre of excellence for advanced air mobility will place it at the forefront of technological innovation within Catalonia, Europe, and the aeronautical industry. Being a part of Inmarsat’s Velaris Partner Network will ensure that the center can access a vast network of experts dedicated to a common goal: developing technology that will transform the future of both ATM and UTM. The expertise we’ll be able to benefit from, and develop ourselves, will be critical to the future of the aviation industry – and we look forward to making this a reality.”

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easyJet To Unlock Environmental, Operational Benefits As First Airline Partner For Iris Program From Inmarsat, ESA

easyJet has today been announced as the first airline partner of the ground-breaking Iris program by Inmarsat and the European Space Agency (ESA), which utilizes the latest generation of satellite technology to modernize air traffic management (ATM).

One of Europe’s leading airlines will play a central role in the Iris program, which enables real-time collaboration between pilots, air traffic controllers and airline operation centers using secure, high-bandwidth data links. This minimizes delays, saves fuel and reduces environmental impact for airlines, while also improving airspace usage to ease congestion and accommodate future growth.

Powered by Inmarsat’s award-winning SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) connectivity platform, Iris enables new ATM functionalities such as trajectory-based operations that pinpoint aircraft in four dimensions (latitude, longitude, altitude and time), which will allow the airline to avoid holding patterns, calculate the shortest available routes and optimum altitudes, and benefit from continuous climb and descent pathways. The additional datalink capacity provided by SB-S will power a host of powerful onboard digital applications, such as AI flight profile optimizers and real-time weather applications.

With the support of leading Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), easyJet will evaluate Iris’ transformative capabilities on up to 11 Airbus A320neos, set to begin flying from November 2022.

This partnership is the culmination of years of work and over €50 million investment by ESA, Inmarsat and more than 30 partners to develop the Iris program. It also supports easyJet’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 as part of the UN-backed ‘Race to Zero’ campaign, with an interim target of a 35% carbon emissions intensity improvement by 2035.

Philippe Carette, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said “The Iris program from Inmarsat and ESA is a game-changer and we are delighted to have easyJet as our first airline partner. This is not only because of its pioneering commitment to innovation and reducing aviation’s environmental impact, but also because this kick-starts an exciting new era that will help make aviation greener and reduce congestion delays for passengers.”

Hugh McConnellogue, easyJet’s Director of Airport Operations and Navigation, said “Iris is paving the way for more efficient air traffic management, which is a crucial step forward for the aviation industry. The program brings multiple benefits, from helping us to achieve our environmental goals by further reducing our carbon emissions, to providing a better experience for our passengers. We’re excited to be leading in this space, setting the standard for the industry and hope to see more airlines follow suit.”

Elodie Viau, Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications at ESA, said: “This innovation has been an enormous undertaking by ESA, Inmarsat and more than 30 other companies within the space and aviation industry, so to see it finally ‘take to the skies’ in a live operational environment is very exciting. European airspace is crying out for a solution to its capacity issues, and advanced satellite technology is the only way to set the industry up for a better – and greener – future.”

The easyJet Airbus A320neo aircraft have been linefitted with a Light Cockpit Satcom (LCS) solution powered by terminal manufacturer Cobham, which is integrated fully with the Flight Operations & Maintenance Exchanger (FOMAX) developed by Collins and Airbus.

Iris will enter commercial and operational service fully in Europe next year, supporting the Single European Sky’s ATM Research (SESAR) masterplan. It will be the first communication service to benefit from a Pan-European certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). 

Earlier this month, Inmarsat and ESA signed a new contract to globalize the program. Iris Global will focus on the technologies and certification required to share the fuel, CO2 and congestion-saving benefits of Iris with regions beyond Europe. To accelerate further ATM modernization, it will also adopt System Wide Information Management (SWIM) applications to facilitate greater sharing of information such as airport operational status, weather information, flight data and airspace restrictions status. Research on future capabilities for the integration of uncrewed aviation into European airspace will also be supported.

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Skyports Partners With SITA To Explore Technology For THe AAM Passenger Journey

Skyports, a best-in-class owner and operator of vertiport infrastructure for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry, and SITA, an IT provider for the air transport industry, today announced a partnership that will see SITA provide its digital solutions at Skyports vertiport locations.

SITA technology will first be implemented at the Skyports Cergy-Pontoise vertiport testbed in Paris, planned for completion in September 2022 to demonstrate the full passenger journey, from arrival at the vertiport terminal to eVTOL aircraft departure. The partnership aims to highlight the ease with which passengers will be able to navigate the AAM ecosystem.

SITA will apply its expertise in airport technology to the emerging AAM industry to develop bespoke biometric and vertiport technology in line with Skyports’ vision for the passenger experience. The technology being developed through the partnership will be a fundamental component of the future passenger journey through a vertiport. It will demonstrate for the first time how customers will interact with the ecosystem.

Passenger autonomy, ease, and convenience are central to the success of the industry and the widespread adoption of AAM. Through the integration of SITA’s biometric solution Smart Path, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft passengers traveling with Skyports will experience a seamless, technology-driven experience at all stages throughout the journey.

Passengers will be able to book and reserve flights on eVTOL aircraft via a mobile app powered by SITA’s biometric capabilities. Upon arrival at the Skyports vertiport, SITA face pods will be used to identify and verify passengers.

Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, said: “Advanced Air Mobility has presented an opportunity to reimagine the entire travel experience, from the vehicles we use and energy sources we rely on, right down to the way passengers book and check-in to flights. We are partnering with SITA to move into this next crucial stage in the planning and development of the AAM industry – defining the experience for end-users. Everything we do at Skyports is underpinned by the belief that there is a faster, smarter, more streamlined way to travel. Our work with SITA will demonstrate how that translates to the passenger journey.”

AAM aircraft will provide a cost-effective and quicker alternative to traditional rail or land transport links. Walker added: “However, to make AAM work, there needs to be a demonstrable benefit to the end-user. Hence the passenger experience is fundamental to our success.”

Much of the magic in streamlining the passenger journey occurs behind the scenes. SITA will provide an automated scheduling solution to support Skyports’ airside operations. So, once a passenger requests a booking, a flight slot will automatically be secured at both departure and destination, ensuring the aircraft is operationally ready and waiting when the passenger arrives. It will also ensure that all the resources needed to support that flight are in place to ensure an on-time departure.

Sergio Colella, President of Europe at SITA, said: “With Skyports, we have the potential to use existing airport technology to totally redesign the passenger journey, with a light-touch process using just your mobile or facial biometric to complete the various steps in the journey. Together we will also work with existing airports to support Advanced Air Mobility solutions in the future.”

Skyports will, in the coming months, begin passenger experience trials at its Cergy-Pontoise vertiport testbed facility, Europe’s first operational testing site for AAM, which is being developed in partnership with Groupe ADP. The implementation of SITA’s innovative technology will be a focal point of the testing.