Record breaking passenger numbers driven by increased air services as YVR embarks on $9.1 billion expansion program to keep pace

Richmond, B.C. | February 13, 2019–Today, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) released final passenger numbers for 2018, confirming another year of record-breaking growth. YVR welcomed more than 25.9 million passengers, a 7.3 per cent increase over 2017, reaching its 25 million passenger milestone two years ahead of forecast.

“This is an exciting time of incredible growth at YVR. We look forward to unveiling some of the projects under our current multi-billion-dollar construction program to address this growth and build the airport of the future,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “We continue to work with our airline partners and entire airport community to position YVR as a world-class connecting hub, providing greater access for people and products to global destinations, all while driving economic benefits for our region.”

The airport’s passenger growth is fuelled by expanded services from its airline partners, including significant continued growth from Air Canada who has chosen YVR as its premier trans-Pacific hub. In 2018, the airline introduced new flights to 10 destinations, including Paris and Zurich, and increased service on five existing routes, including making their popular non-stop service to Delhi year-round. New services such as these are made possible by YVR’s rates and charges program, ConnectYVR. The program provides a highly competitive rate structure and includes rates lower than any other major airport in Canada and competing US airports.

YVR is on track to serve more than 29 million passengers in 2020, with projections indicating the airport will serve 32 million by 2022. To facilitate recent and projected growth, YVR is investing $9.1 billion in its expansion program, which includes 75 major capital improvement projects scheduled over the next 20 years. Once complete, the expansion will enhance the airport experience, improve the speed and ease of passenger and bag movements, and further YVR’s position as a leading international hub.

YVR’s multi-year expansion plans are made possible by its unique, not-for-profit operating model, which ensures all profits generated at YVR are reinvested back into the airport for the benefit of its customers, partners and communities. To learn more about YVR’s unique not-for-profit operation model, please click here.

Passenger Growth Highlights: January – December 2018

> 25.9 million passengers, a 7.3 per cent increase over the same period in 2017

> An 8.5 per cent increase in international traffic

> A 6.1 per cent increase in domestic traffic

> A 5.5 per cent increase in transborder (US) traffic

> YVR moved 338,000 tonnes of cargo, an 8.1 per cent increase from 2017

Scottsdale, Arizona | February 7, 2019–

Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE:CSL) today announced its financial results for the three and twelve month periods ended December 31, 2018.

• Record Fourth Quarter Revenue increased 8.8% to $1.1 billion driven by organic revenue growth of 5.3%
• Operating income for the quarter of $114.6 million, increased 22.7%
• Reported diluted EPS for the quarter was $1.49, including $0.17 of restructuring, facility rationalization, and acquisition related costs
• Repurchased 1.6 million shares for $164.4 million in the quarter and 4.4 million shares for $459.8 million for the full year
• Board of Directors authorized an additional 5 million shares for repurchase on February 5, 2019

Fourth Quarter 2018

Revenues of $1.1 billion increased 8.8% from $990.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Organic revenue grew 5.3% (organic revenue defined as revenue excluding acquired revenues within the last twelve months, ASC 606 revenue recognition standard, and the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates versus the U.S. Dollar). Acquired revenue contributed a total of 4.3% in the quarter. Changes in foreign exchange rates and the adoption of ASC 606 revenue recognition standard each had a negative (0.4%) impact on revenues.

Operating income of $114.6 million, up 22.7% from the fourth quarter of 2017, resulted in an operating margin of 10.6%, a 120 basis point improvement. Operating income performance was driven by higher sales volume, price realization, and contributions from the Carlisle Operating System (COS), partially offset by increases in freight, labor-related and raw material costs, and restructuring at Carlisle Brake & Friction (CBF).

During the fourth quarter of 2018, Carlisle announced that it had entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Petersen Aluminum Corporation, a manufacturer of high-quality metal roofing products for approximately $197 million, which closed on January 11, 2019.

Consistent with our Vision 2025 strategy, Carlisle repurchased 1.6 million shares of common stock for $164.4 million in the fourth quarter.

Full Year 2018

2018 revenues of $4.5 billion increased 19.4% from $3.8 billion for 2017. Acquired revenues contributed a total of 11.2%. Organic revenues grew 7.2%. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 0.4%, while adoption of ASC 606 revenue recognition standard had a positive impact of 0.6%.

2018 operating income of $509.0 million, up 9.7% from 2017, resulted in an operating margin of 11.4%. Operating income performance was driven by higher sales volume, price realization, and contributions from the Carlisle Operating System (COS). Operating Income performance was partially offset by increases in freight, labor-related, and raw material costs, and unfavorable product mix.

For the full year 2018, Carlisle delivered diluted EPS of $5.88, including restructuring, facility rationalization, and acquisition related costs of $0.45. Carlisle’s EPS benefited from a lower effective tax rate and reduced share count.

Carlisle repurchased a record 4.4 million shares of common stock for $459.8 million and returned a record $93.5 million to shareholders in the form of dividends.

CEO Comment

“Strong demand from customers across our end markets, price discipline, efficiencies gained from the Carlisle Operating System (COS) and execution by our dedicated employees around the globe contributed to a solid fourth quarter and a strong finish to year one of our journey toward Vision 2025. We delivered record highs in full year revenues, diluted EPS, share repurchases, and dividends paid.

Furthermore, we gained solid traction on the key pillars of Vision 2025. Some highlights included:

• Achieving 7.2% organic revenue growth, well in excess of our long-term growth target of 5%
• Maintaining strong price discipline across businesses, leading to positive realization for the year
• Delivering cost savings of 1.5% of sales through COS, well within our targeted range of 1-2%
• Completing ~$70 million of restructuring actions instituted over the last two years at CIT, CFT, and CBF
• Reshaping our portfolio with the sale of Carlisle FoodService Products (CFS) for $758 million in early 2018 and making strategic acquisitions, including the recently announced acquisition of Petersen
• Leveraging our strong cash flow and balance sheet by deploying over $550 million into record share repurchases and dividends paid, more than half-way to our stated objective of deploying $1 billion into share repurchases under Vision 2025

Despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties, we remain optimistic that we can achieve high-single-digit revenue growth in 2019 given generally favorable market conditions across our segments and execution on the strategies and key actions we’ve put in place over the last year.

As we embark on year two of our journey toward Vision 2025, we will build on the achievements of year one and continue to drive towards our objectives: exceed 5% organic growth, utilize COS to deliver efficiencies and operating leverage, build scale with synergistic acquisitions, continue to invest in exceptional talent and deploy over $3 billion into capital expenditures, share repurchases and dividends.

As always, we recognize and appreciate Carlisle’s achievements are the culmination of efforts by our employees, channel partners, and suppliers, as well as the continued trust placed in us by our customers.”

Chris Koch,

President and Chief Executive Officer

Fourth Quarter 2018 Segment Highlights

Carlisle Construction Materials (CCM)

• Revenues of $676.3 million, up 9.3% (organic +2.8%) year-over-year, were driven by continued strength in U.S. roofing demand and contributions from acquisitions.
• Operating income was $97.3 million, up 10.9% year-over-year. Operating margin of 14.4%, a 20 basis point improvement, benefited from price discipline, benefits from COS, and operational improvements in legacy CCM businesses, offset by raw material inflation, higher labor and freight costs, and acquisitions.
• Items affecting comparability were $0.5 million versus $5.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• We expect CCM to achieve high-single digit to low-double digit revenue growth in 2019

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CIT)

• Revenues of $231.6 million, up 11.1% year-over-year (+12.7% organic) were driven by strength in Aerospace and Space/Defense. Carlisle’s adoption of ASC 606 revenue recognition decreased revenue by $4.4 million in the quarter.
• Operating income was $33.3 million, up 52.1% year-over-year. Operating margin of 14.4%, a 390 basis point improvement, benefited from higher volumes, savings from COS, lower restructuring expenses, partially offset by higher operating expenses and unfavorable mix.
• Items affecting comparability were $2.2 million versus $3.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• We expect CIT to achieve mid-single digit revenue growth in 2019.

Carlisle Fluid Technologies (CFT)

• Revenues of $82.4 million, up 4.3% (+5.8% organic) year-over-year, reflecting strength in the General Industrial market in the Americas, strong demand for standard products in Asia Pacific, partially offset by softer Transportation markets and foreign currency translation headwinds.
• Operating income was $12.0 million, up 224.3% year-over-year. Operating margin of 14.6%, a 990 basis point improvement, demonstrated execution of CFT’s plan to improve the margin profile of the business, and benefited from our lower restructuring costs, progress on vertical integration, savings from COS and price realization, partially offset by raw material inflation and higher labor costs.
• Items affecting comparability were $0.4 million versus $3.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• We expect CFT to achieve mid-single digit revenue growth in 2019.

Carlisle Brake & Friction (CBF)

• Revenues of $87.0 million, up 3.2% (+4.9% organic), reflecting the continued stability in off-highway vehicle markets and price realization, partially offset by foreign currency translation headwinds.
• Operating loss was $(7.1) million, compared to a $(1.2) million loss in the fourth quarter of 2017. Operating margin of (8.2)% declined 680 basis points year-over-year, driven by $9.1 million of costs associated with our completed Tulsa, Oklahoma to Medina, Ohio facility consolidation.
• Items affecting comparability were $9.1 million versus $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• We expect CBF to achieve low-single digit revenue growth in 2019.

Cash Flow

Free cash flow (defined as cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, and comprised of continuing and discontinued operations) was $218.5 million in 2018, a decrease of $80.3 million versus the prior year. The decrease in free cash flow was primarily attributable to a greater usage of cash for income taxes related to the effects of tax reform and the sale of CFS, offset by the impact of higher cash earnings.

During 2018, we redeployed our free cash flow and cash from the sale of CFS towards the acquisitions of Premium Panels, Sunlast Metals, Tenencia, and RedGroup, the repurchase of approximately 4.4 million shares of Carlisle common stock for $459.8 million and $93.5 million in dividends paid. As of December 31, 2018, we had $803.6 million of cash and $1 billion of availability under our revolving credit facility.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will discuss fourth quarter 2018 results on a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET today. The call may be accessed live by going to the Investor Relations section of the Carlisle website (http://www.carlisle.com/investor-relations/events-and-webcasts/default.aspx), or the taped call may be listened to shortly following the live call at the same website location. A PowerPoint presentation will accompany the call and can be found on the Carlisle website as well.

• No Matter Where You’re Sitting, JetBlue is the Best U.S. Airline, Says The Points Guy
• JetBlue Sweeps Editor’s Choice Awards for Domestic Travel at First-Ever NYC Event

New York | December 7, 2018–JetBlue announced it has been recognized by The Points Guy with awards for Best Domestic Economy Class (Airbus A321 Core) and Best Domestic Business Class (Mint). JetBlue was the only airline – domestically and globally – to win awards for both economy and business. The wins underscore JetBlue’s long-standing commitment to offering the very best customer experience in the sky.

“No matter where you sit on a JetBlue flight, your experience will be the best in the industry and we thank The Points Guy for sharing that message with even more travelers who we hope to welcome aboard soon,” said Ian Deason, senior vice president customer experience, JetBlue. “These awards are a testament to the investment JetBlue makes in our customers, our crewmembers, our aircraft and every part of the travel experience.”

The Points Guy (TPG) is a trusted travel and lifestyle media platform that focuses on maximizing travel experiences while minimizing spending. Through an informative, clever point of view, TPG has become the leading online resource for all things points, miles and resourceful travel experiences. This week, The Points Guy Brian Kelly hosted the first-ever TPG Awards at a star-studded event held on The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.

The recognitions come as JetBlue is doubling down on the “cabin of your dreams” in Core with newly restyled Airbus A320 aircraft featuring the most legroom in coach (a) with better seats, bigger televisions, more channels, free Fly-Fi broadband and streaming entertainment on all aircraft (b). The Points Guy highlights some of these customer-friendly features in its award review:

“A modern cabin, industry-leading legroom and top-notch IFE options are just a few reasons JetBlue beat out the rest of the major domestic airlines in the economy category. Based on hard product alone, it’ll be hard to top [JetBlue] next year.”

At the same time, the airline continues to expand premium Mint flights on cross-country routes and in the Caribbean and Latin America. JetBlue now operates more than 80 daily Mint flights in 15 JetBlue cities. On most of these routes, JetBlue is the only airline to offer regularly scheduled flights with a lie flat seat. And with Mint’s tapas style dining, amenity kits by Hayward and Hopper, dessert from local artisanal ice cream makers and dedicated hospitality trained crewmembers, The Points Guy says JetBlue is leading the industry:

“Hands down, JetBlue features the best business-class product for a domestic airline. A private suite for a cross-country flight? We’ll take it! Combine a phenomenal seat with friendly service and tasty food, and you’ve got a winning formula that has put other domestic carriers on defense.”

Toulouse, France | November 9, 2018– Airbus logged a combined total of 85 orders in October for NEO versions of its single-aisle A320 and widebody A330 jetliner families while delivering 81 aircraft from the A220, A320 and A330 and A350 XWB product lines during the month.

Leading the new business were 67 bookings for the twin-engine A321neo and A320neo. Vietjet’s firm order for 50 A321neo aircraft brought the overall number of A320 Family jetliners ordered to date by this Vietnamese carrier to 171. Also included in the October order book was German-based Lufthansa’s acquisition of 17 A320neo aircraft.

In the widebody segment, orders were logged during the month for 18 A330neo jetliners – the latest version of Airbus’ popular twin-engine A330 Family. An undisclosed customer acquired 10 A330-900s, and Kuwait Airways placed an order for eight of the shorter-fuselage A330-800 versions.

The new business in October brought Airbus’ net orders for the January-October 2018 timeframe to 340 aircraft. This was composed of 264 single-aisle jetliners (250 A319/A320/A321neo and 14 A319/A320/A321ceo versions) and 76 widebody aircraft (22 A330neo and four A330ceo jetliners, along with 36 A350 XWBs and 14 A380s).

October’s deliveries were made to 40 customers, involving twoA220s, 67 A320 Family jetliners (of which 48 were A320/A321neo aircraft), three A330-200/A330-300s, and nine A350 XWBs in the A350-900 and A350-1000 versions. Among the notable delivery milestones during the month was the first A220 provided to a U.S. carrier – an A220-100 version received by Delta Air Lines. Additionally, Airbus surpassed the 500-delivery mark for its A320neo/A321neo jetliners in October.

Taking the month’s order and delivery activity into account, Airbus’ overall backlog of jetliners remaining to be delivered as of October 31 stood at 7,386 aircraft, representing approximately nine years of production at current rates.

2018 Airbus Orders

• Commercial aircraft environment robust, backlog underpins ramp-up plans
• H1 financials reflect mainly A350 XWB performance and delivery phasing
• Revenues € 25 billion; EBIT Adjusted € 1.2 billion
• EBIT (reported) € 1.1 billion; EPS (reported) € 0.64
• 2018 guidance maintained

France | July 26, 2018–Airbus SE (stock exchange symbol: AIR) reported Half-Year (H1) 2018 consolidated financial results and maintained its guidance for the full year.

“The first half financials reflect the back-loaded deliveries due to A320neo engine shortages, while on the positive side there was a strong improvement on the A350 programme,” said Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders. “A320neo aircraft deliveries picked up during the second quarter but challenges remain to meet our full year targets. Market demand remains strong for the expanded Airbus portfolio that now includes the A220 at the smaller end. The recent Farnborough Airshow underlined this, with new business for over 400 single-aisle and wide-body aircraft announced. Our operational focus in commercial aircraft remains squarely on securing the production ramp-up. On our largest military programme, the A400M, we are making progress operationally, on improving capabilities as well as in negotiations with governments for the necessary contract amendment.”

Net commercial aircraft orders increased to 206 (H1 2017: 203 aircraft) with gross orders of 261 aircraft including 50 A350 XWBs and 14 A330s. The order backlog by units totalled 7,168 commercial aircraft as of 30 June 2018.  During July’s Farnborough Airshow, Airbus announced orders and commitments for a total of 431 aircraft although these are not yet reflected in the order book. Net helicopter orders totalled 143 units (H1 2017: 151 units). Airbus Defence and Space saw good order momentum, particularly in Space Systems, while there are encouraging prospects for European military cooperation programmes in Military Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Systems.

Consolidated revenues were stable at € 25.0 billion (H1 2017: € 25.2 billion⁽¹⁾), reflecting the commercial aircraft delivery mix and perimeter changes as well as the weakening of the US dollar. Deliveries totalled 303 commercial aircraft (H1 2017: 306 aircraft), comprising 239 A320 Family, 18 A330s, 40 A350 XWBs and six A380s. Airbus Helicopters delivered 141 units (H1 2017: 190 units) with revenues mainly reflecting the perimeter change from the sale of Vector Aerospace in late 2017. Revenues at Airbus Defence and Space reflected the stable core business and solid programme execution as well as the perimeter change mainly related to the divestment of Defence Electronics in February 2017 and Airbus DS Communications, Inc. in March 2018.

Consolidated EBIT Adjusted – an alternative performance measure and key indicator capturing the underlying business margin by excluding material charges or profits caused by movements in provisions related to programmes, restructuring or foreign exchange impacts as well as capital gains/losses from the disposal and acquisition of businesses – totalled
€ 1,162 million (H1 2017: € 553 million⁽¹⁾).

Airbus’ EBIT Adjusted of € 867 million (H1 2017: € 257 million⁽¹⁾), reflected mainly the strong improvement on the A350 programme and the A320neo ramp-up and transition.

A total of 110 A320neo aircraft were delivered (H1 2017: 59 aircraft) with more NEO (new engine option) versions delivered than CEO (current engine option) versions in the second quarter. The ramp-up is ongoing. Engine manufacturers are working to meet their commitments and resources and capabilities have been mobilised internally. A recovery plan is in place and the number of stored aircraft has started to decline from the end of May peak but risks remain to meet the 800 aircraft delivery target, which is challenging. On the A350 programme, the first A350-1000s were delivered to Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific in the half-year. Good progress was made on the recurring cost curve compared to a year earlier as the programme ramps up to the targeted monthly production rate of 10 aircraft by year-end. The A350’s industrial system is now reaching a mature level with the focus remaining on recurring cost convergence. Route proving flights have now been completed on the A330neo with more than 1,000 flight hours accumulated by the test aircraft fleet. The first delivery is expected end summer. In July, the BelugaXL transport aircraft completed its maiden flight.

Airbus Helicopters’ EBIT Adjusted increased to € 135 million (H1 2017: € 80 million⁽¹⁾), reflecting solid underlying programme execution which compensated the lower deliveries.

Airbus Defence and Space’s EBIT Adjusted was € 309 million (H1 2017: € 298 million⁽¹⁾), reflecting the stable core business and solid programme execution. On a comparable basis the Division’s EBIT Adjusted was broadly stable.

On the A400M programme, a total of eight aircraft were delivered compared to eight in the first half of 2017. A provision update of € 98 million during the first half of 2018 mainly reflected price escalation. Progress was made toward achieving military capabilities. Airbus continues to work with the Launch Customer Nations to finalise a contract amendment by year-end.

Consolidated self-financed R&D expenses totalled € 1,403 million (H1 2017: € 1,288 million).

Consolidated EBIT (reported) was stable at € 1,120 million (H1 2017: € 1,211 million⁽¹⁾), including Adjustments totalling a net € -42 million. These comprised:

•  The € 98 million A400M provision increase due to an update for escalation assumptions;
• A negative € 21 million resulting from the first H160 helicopters;
•  A negative impact of € 40 million from the dollar pre-delivery payment mismatch and balance sheet revaluation;
• A total of € 40 million in other costs, including compliance and merger and acquisition costs;
•  A net capital gain of € 157 million from divestments in Airbus Defence and Space.

Consolidated net income⁽²⁾ of € 496 million (H1 2017: € 1,091 million⁽¹⁾) and earnings per share of € 0.64 (H1 2017: € 1.41⁽¹⁾) included a negative impact from the foreign exchange revaluation of financial instruments partly offset by the positive revaluation of certain equity instruments. The finance result was € -303 million (H1 2017: € +72 million⁽¹⁾). Net income also reflects a higher effective tax rate from the reassessment of tax assets and liabilities.

Consolidated free cash flow before M&A and customer financing amounted to € -3,968 million (H1 2017: € -2,093 million), reflecting the continued ramp-up while deliveries reflect the engine situation. Consolidated free cash flow of € -3,797 million (H1 2017: € -1,956 million) included around € 0.3 billion of net proceeds from divestments at Airbus Defence and Space. Cash flow for aircraft financing was limited in the first half of 2018.

The consolidated net cash position on 30 June 2018 was € 8.1 billion (year-end 2017: € 13.4 billion) with a gross cash position of € 17.8 billion (year-end 2017: € 24.6 billion).

Outlook

As the basis for its 2018 guidance, the Company expects the world economy and air traffic to grow in line with prevailing independent forecasts, which assume no major disruptions.

The 2018 earnings and guidance are prepared under IFRS 15.

The 2018 earnings and Free Cash Flow guidance is before M&A. It now includes the A220⁽³⁾ integration.

• Airbus targets to deliver around 800 commercial aircraft, without the A220 Family.
• On top, around 18 A220 deliveries are targeted for H2.
• Before M&A, the Company expects EBIT Adjusted of approximately € 5.2 billion in 2018:
  • The A220⁽³⁾ integration is expected to reduce EBIT Adjusted by an estimated              € -0.2 billion.
  • Therefore, including A220⁽³⁾, the Company expects EBIT Adjusted to be approximately € 5.0 billion.
• Compared to 2017 Free Cash Flow before M&A and Customer Financing of € 2.95 billion, the Company expects Free Cash Flow to be at a similar level in 2018 before the A220 integration.
  • The A220⁽³⁾ integration is expected to reduce Free Cash Flow before M&A and Customer Financing by an estimated € -0.3 billion⁽³⁾.
  • In 2018, the Company expects the net cash impact of the A220 integration to be largely covered by the funding arrangement as laid out in the terms of the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership, meaning limited cash dilution.

Chicago | July 10, 2018–The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today deliveries across its commercial and defense operations for the second quarter of 2018.

Visit Airbus at Hall B5, Stand 5A20 – from Tuesday 10th to Thursday 12th April;

Media Briefing & stand tour: Tuesday April 10th from 09h25 to 10h30.

Largest ever Airbus stand at AIX – now combining: Airbus Commercial Aircraft and Services at one location

Toulouse, France | April 5, 2018–
Airbus showcases its new cabin innovations at this years’ Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany – the world’s largest event dedicated to the aircraft interiors industry, in-flight entertainment, connectivity and passenger services.

The stand this year (Hall B5, Stand 5A20) is Airbus’ largest ever at AIX – around 550m². Here the domains of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, Services by Airbus and Airbus Interiors Services (AIS) are integrated at one prominent location at the expo.

In terms of Airbus Commercial highlights, the centrepiece at this year’s event is our latest A320 Airspace cabin mockup. This will feature a welcome area with patterned lighting effects, full-flat seats, Airspace XL bins and a lavatory, and will give visitors a good appreciation of the high comfort which our new transatlantic-capable A321LR will enable passengers to experience when it enters service in the near future. A second large mockup at the Airbus stand demonstrates Airspace in a partial A330neo cabin section.

There are numerous visual displays at the Airbus stand and 3D-printed models of cabin enablers and galley arrangements plus other innovations. One can also explore all Airbus aircrafts’ Airspace cabins in full 3D virtual reality. Furthermore, visitors can try out our new “A320 Plane it yourself” digital cabin and systems configurator, as well as the innovative “I flyA380.com” kiosk.

Meanwhile, Services by Airbus, co-located at the Airbus stand, is displaying its A320 mock-up providing an overview on the latest solutions for in-service single-aisle fleet, as well as its latest A330 cabin enablers for retrofit. In addition, the “Day & Night” premium dual suite module from AIS is demonstrated for the first time in full-scale mockup form for A350 customers.

This year Airbus is proud to have been shortlisted four times in the prestigious Crystal Cabin Awards for the following achievements: The A320 Family Airspace Interior; a new “Printed Electrics” / “Info-Panel” (in cooperation with Altran); Gigabit Wireless Networking in Aircraft Cabins via “Light-Fidelity” (LiFi) – with the University of Edinburgh; and the “Day and Night” new cabin premium class product (offered by our subsidiary AIS). The Crystal Cabin Awards ceremony is held on the evening of Tuesday 10th where the winners will be revealed.

As well as the opening Airbus cabin Media Briefing & exhibit tour on Tuesday morning, journalists are also invited to contact us to arrange one-to-one cabin mock-up / demo tours plus expert interviews throughout the three days of the show.

New computing platforms offer increased graphics and processing performance

Augsburg, Germany | April 4, 2018–Kontron, a leading global provider of IoT/Embedded Computing Technology (ECT), announces new boards, modules and embedded systems featuring the 8th Gen Intel Core/Xeon processors (former codename Coffee Lake). Through the update to the COM Express Computer-on-Modules (COMs), embedded motherboards, CompactPCI platforms, Kontron KBox family of box PCs, as well as the company’s rackmount systems, customers benefit from a marked increase in graphics- and processing performance. First products featuring the new processor generation will be available on the COM Express basic form factor starting June 2018.

With the new boards and modules, customers will benefit from the enhanced functionality and significant performance increase of the latest 8th Gen Intel Core(TM) / Xeon processors at the same power consumption as the previous generation. Available with dual-, quad-, or hexacore CPUs, they double the DDR4 storage as before, with up to 64 GB. They support the fast Intel Optane memory, as well as the fastest available storage technology NVMe SSD for system acceleration in a very compact design. USB 3.1. support with up to 10 Gbps and USB Type C support offer twice the bandwidth as compared to USB 3.0 for fast data transfer. Four 4K displays can be controlled, three of them separately. UHD streaming supports high quality video applications.

With these innovations, the new platforms are an ideal basis for applications in communication, digital signage, professional gaming and entertainment, medical imaging, surveillance, and security. They are also well suited for the control of industrial systems, machines and robots on the shop floor level as well as from the control room.

Peter Müller, Director Product Line Boards & Modules at Kontron: “To enable our customers to fully leverage the new performance benefits of the latest Intel processor generation, we are promptly upgrading our product families with the latest technology. At the same time, we guarantee to our customers product life cycles of no less than ten years to make sure their investments pay off in the long run as well.”

The new platforms are more secure through SGX 1.0 hardware-enhanced multifactor authentication. In addition, all Kontron products support the TPM 2.0 security chip as well as the Kontron APPROTECT Security Solution. Based on an integrated Wibu-Systems security chip and in tandem with a specifically developed software framework, it provides IP and copy/reverse engineering protection. Kontron APPROTECT Licensing also enables new business models such as “pay per use”, demo versions for limited time periods, or activation/deactivation functions.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa | April 4, 2018– Rockwell Collins will be showcasing its suite of aircraft cabin and connectivity solutions at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany, April 10-12. The company will have two separate exhibits, booth 4C30 focusing on connectivity in the cabin and booth 5B30 featuring Cabin Interiors.

This marks the first AIX that Rockwell Collins will feature both cabin connectivity and interior systems products since the company acquired B/E Aerospace in April 2017.

“This year at AIX, we’re focused on demonstrating to airlines and suppliers our portfolio of complete cabin solutions to enhance operations, increase customer satisfaction and drive down costs,” said Joel Otto, vice president of Strategy and Business Development, Information Management Services for Rockwell Collins. “AIX provides our customers the convenience of learning about all our cabin solutions in one location.”

Attendees are encouraged to visit booth 4C30 to learn more about Rockwell Collins’ connectivity solutions on display that include:

• CabinConnect, a wireless in-flight connectivity and entertainment solution enabling high-speed aviation broadband access for passengers and cabin crew. Passengers can stream video and other content to their personal devices, surf the internet, send and receive email, use social networking and universal messaging on their smartphones, tablets, laptops or gaming devices. Airlines can deliver more personalized services, create new opportunities for revenue generation and increase operational efficiencies.
• Airshow® Moving Map, the industry’s most widely used and award-winning moving map to keep passengers informed with real-time flight information throughout their journeys.
• Aircraft Dashboard, a web-based suite for real-time monitoring for an at-a-glance overview of all your Rockwell Collins connectivity services. Provides cabin crew and Aircraft Operations Center monitoring of aircraft connectivity status and ACARS communications.
• Flight data display flight tracking, powered by ARINC MultiLink, provides real time situational awareness of aircraft in-flight positioning and can allow notifications when making flight plan deviations.

In booth 5B30, attendees can learn more about Rockwell Collins’ portfolio of cabin interior solutions that include:

• Meridian economy class seating product, the top-selling single aisle platform, high comfort in a slim-line seat, scalable and configurable to an airline’s requirements.
• MiQ business class seating product, an award-winning seat for narrow-body aircraft and wide-body premium economy cabins.
• Qsuite premium class seating product, a one-of-a-kind individual pod seat with a closing door and double bed transformation. It’s equipped with a large in-flight entertainment screen, storage and table space.
• Air Rest new electric business class seating product, this unique seat brings the comfort and technology of Rockwell Collins’ widebody business class to narrowbody premium seating.
• Silhouette Move, the revolutionary and patented class divider that elegantly increases cabin footprint for additional passenger space or additional seat placements.
• Essence Microwave Oven, will be delivered and in service on both Boeing and Airbus platforms in 2018.
• Integra Pulse Portable oxygen tank cylinder assembly, provides operators dramatic weight savings in a portable oxygen unit that offers both constant flow and pulse settings, in a package engineered for functionality and utility, without the use of batteries

Paris, France | April 4, 2018–The start-up SKYdeals will attend the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg from 10th – 12th April 2018 on booth #3C30.

SKYdeals will showcase the first solution of inflight “Shoppertainment” in the world.

On this occasion, the two founders, also members of the APEX* association, will have the opportunity to showcase to main airlines representatives, their concept and its advantages as a new source of additional revenues and as an innovative passenger experience.

Every day, 8 million people around the world travel by plane and thanks to Inflight broadband, it’s now possible to reach these passengers in real time, and to interact with them.

SKYdeals is the first platform dedicated to this population, a marketplace where brands and service providers can offer, directly to passengers, highly targeted event-driven sales and private sales.

This e-commerce platform gives a double benefit for airlines:

• Quickly access to an innovative, entertaining and connected digital service for passengers: Thanks to its “Plug & Play” catalogs, SKYdeals can be implemented in only two weeks and without any major investment from airlines.
• A new source of revenues from inflight connectivity based on a revenue sharing model. SKYdeals will present during the event some revenues simulations, which clearly show all the potential of inflight e-commerce.

With the development of onboard Wi-Fi, SKYdeals relies on a fast-growing market. Indeed, the market of inflight broadband will reach $130 billion, resulting in $30 billion of additional revenue for airlines by 2035, compared to $1 billion in 2018**. Half of these revenues will be dedicated to e-commerce, advertising and premium content.

With AIX kicking-off next month, the organisers reveal details of new exhibitors and product innovations on display, CabinSpace LIVE speaker agenda, and new Passenger Experience Conference speakers 

Hamburg, Germany | March 21, 2018– Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the global event that showcases the leading innovations in the passenger experience, is creating a platform for further innovation at this year’s show with the launch of an Ideation Hub.

New Ideation Hub

The Hub, will allow attendees from across the supply chain to synthesise future innovative ideas and collaborate on key issues relating to passenger experience. This is just one of the new features at this year’s show, which returns to the Hamburg Messe from 10th – 12th April 2018.

The sessions will take inspiration from ‘related worlds’, along with trends and technology from other industries, to generate ideas that will seek to provide the customers of tomorrow with a more seamless passenger experience.

Polly Magraw, Exhibition Director of the Aircraft Interiors Expo, says: “The Aircraft Interiors Expo has become known as the global showcase for innovation in the passenger experience. The Ideation Hub we are introducing this year will take this to the next dimension as we work with attendees including engineers, designers and innovators to foster collaboration within the industry at AIX.

“As we approach our 20^th anniversary next year, we are reaffirming our commitment to creating an event that celebrates innovation at every stage – from the initial ideas to fully established products – and the Ideation Hub will form a key element of this moving forward.”

New Exhibitors

AIX 2018 will this year welcome 50 new exhibiting companies including Ametek MRO, 3D Systems, General Aerospace GmbH, Konrad Hornschuch AG, STS Component Solutions, Tekspan and Vanema. They will join longstanding exhibiting companies such as Acro, Gogo, Haeco, Inmarsat, Molon Labe, Panasonic Avionics and Thales.

Innovations on display

Many exhibitors will be showcasing product innovations at this year’s show, including:

• Bucher – displaying a new space-saving galley and front-row monument combination –  a lightweight galley that has been optimised for maximum storage space
• Inflight Canada – displaying the new FAST USB power system being installed on British Airways’ A320 family fleet
• Juki – the first digital sewing system for heavy-duty seating
• Mirus – new developments of its Hawk economy seating platform including IFE and power systems, as well as storage and comfort options
• Molon Labe – unveiling its S1: Space Seat, which is a non-sliding version of its Side-Slip Seat and targets the short-range market with several unique features
• Soisa – the Glowing Experience in seat lighting which integrates ambient lighting into the seat cover
• Vision Systems – the second generation electronically dimmable window, based on a new industrial process for enhanced optical quality and lower cost
• WiFi Technologies – officially releasing its Aviator WiFi private sitcom network that enables cockpit and cabin crew to use their own tablets as full mobile satcom terminals during flight

CabinSpace LIVE Seminar Theatre and Crystal Cabin Awards showcase

Other enhancements for AIX 2018 include an expanded FlightGlobal CabinSpace LIVE programme, where attendees will have the opportunity to hear industry leaders discussing the latest trends and insights on major industry topics on 10^th and 11^th April 2018.

These include ‘consolidation and the interiors supply chain’, ‘the future of inflight entertainment’, and‘predictive maintenance and the connected aircraft’, with speakers from leading companies including Lufthansa Technik, Delta Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines and Bluebox Aviation, along with a market outlook briefing from FlightGlobal’s Ascend consultancy.

On 12^th April at 11am, attendees will be able to see for themselves the innovations showcased at this year’s Crystal Cabin Awards in the CabinSpace Live Seminar Theatre, Hall B3 Upper, as the eight winners will present their winning concepts.

Both events will take place in the CabinSpace LIVE Seminar Theatre in Hall B3 Upper.

Passenger Experience Conference

The show-starter for AIX is the Passenger Experience Conference on 9^th April, which brings together senior strategists from airlines, rail companies and from across the industry supply chain to holistically explore the latest passenger experience thinking with their peers.

Visitors to the event will hear from leading speakers including Adam Wells, Head of Design at Virgin Galactic, Paul Priestman, Director & Chairman of PriestmanGoode, Célia Geslin, Head of Product & Customer Experience at Joon, David Lavorel, Chief Executive Officer of SITAONAIR, David Bartlett, Chief Technology Officer at Panasonic Avionics, Steve King, Chief Executive Officer of Black Swan Data, and Scott Savian, Executive Vice President ZEO at Zodiac Aerospace.

In addition to keynotes on the topics of ‘New frontiers for transport and passenger experience’, ‘Disruptive possibilities and their impact on the airline industry’, ‘Creating the world’s first spaceline’, and ‘Future Horizons’, the PEC will feature focused breakout sessions exploring ’Convergence and Mobility’,’ Flexible & Sustainable Thinking  and ’Personalising the passenger journey’.

Passenger Experience Week

AIX is co-located alongside the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and Passenger Technology Solutions (PTS), a new event for 2018 showcasing and exploring the latest technology trends that are transforming the passenger journey. Together the three events, along with the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) on 9^th April, form Passenger Experience Week.

Each year, Passenger Experience Week attracts more than 18,000 attendees from across the world, along with over 2,000+ VIP airline attendees from 260 unique airlines and lessors.

London, UK | January 23, 2018– An array of exciting start-ups and tech pioneers are confirmed to exhibit at Passenger Technology Solutions (PTS) – a brand new, global event that takes place in Hamburg from 10-12 April 2018. 

The event, which is the latest to be added to the annual Passenger Experience Week portfolio, will explore the potential of technology to join the dots across the passenger journey to deliver a more seamless and integrated experience. 

A selection of names have been confirmed, including Toronto-based company Guestlogix, chat-bot developer Aviget, systems integrator KIU System Solutions and French Duty Free disruptor airfree.

These exhibitors will join other technology suppliers to showcase their products and services to travel operators from around the world, each looking to offer their passengers a more connected and personalised journey. 

The products and services due to be demonstrated include airfree – the first digital marketplace dedicated to inflight shopping – and Guestlogix’s cutting-edge airline commerce platform that uses data analytics to enhance passenger experience and generate ancillary revenue for airlines.

Archana Sharma, Exhibition Director, Passenger Technology Solutions, commented: “We launched Passenger Technology Solutions to inspire companies across the entire travel ecosystem to take a look at the bigger picture. Technological advances have transformed every aspect of the industry beyond recognition, and now an exciting challenge lies ahead: how to combine these travel innovations to create the ultimate overall passenger experience. 

“We are excited to reveal just a few of the start-ups and game-changers that will be joining us in Hamburg in April, and look forward to announcing further exhibitors and speakers in the coming weeks.” 

Alongside the exhibition, PTS will offer three days of educational sessions and networking to explore the future of travel. The event will not only cover aviation, but also rail – putting the entire end-to-end passenger journey in the frame. 

PTS will take place during Passenger Experience week, which attracts over 18,400 visitors and more than 1,000 airline attendees. The new event will be co-located at the Hamburg Messe with Aircraft Interiors Expo, the Passenger Experience Conference and World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo.

For more information about Passenger Technology Solutions please visit: www.passengertechnologysolutions.com