• Emirates to reduce its A380 orderbook by 39 aircraft
• Orders 40 A330neo and 30 A350s
• Last delivery of A380 scheduled for 2021

Toulouse, France | February 14, 2019– Following a review of its operations, and in light of developments in aircraft and engine technologies, Emirates is reducing its A380 orderbook from 162 to 123 aircraft. Emirates will take delivery of 14 further A380s over the next two years. As a consequence and given the lack of order backlog with other airlines, Airbus will cease deliveries of the A380  in 2021.

Emirates has also decided to continue growing with Airbus’ newest generation, flexible widebody aircraft, ordering 40 A330-900 and 30 A350-900 aircraft.

“As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog and hence no basis to sustain production, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years. This leads to the end of A380 deliveries in 2021,” said Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders. “The consequences of this decision are largely embedded in our 2018 full year results”.

“The A380 is not only an outstanding engineering and industrial achievement. Passengers all over the world love to fly on this great aircraft. Hence today’s announcement is painful for us and the A380 communities worldwide. But, keep in mind that A380s will still roam the skies for many years to come and Airbus will of course continue to fully support the A380 operators,” Tom Enders added.

“The A380 is Emirates’ flagship and has contributed to the airline’s success for more than ten years. As much as we regret the airline’s position, selecting the A330neo and A350 for its future growth is a great endorsement of our very competitive widebody aircraft family,” said Guillaume Faury, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future Airbus CEO. “Going forward, we are fully committed to deliver on the longstanding confidence Emirates is placing in Airbus.”

Airbus will start discussions with its social partners in the next few weeks regarding the 3,000 to 3,500 positions potentially impacted over the next three years. However, the ongoing A320 ramp-up and the new widebody order from Emirates Airline will offer a significant number of internal mobility opportunities.

Wireless connectivity at the gate will allow the aircraft to connect to vital aircraft, airline systems

February 8, 2018– SITA is providing wireless connectivity on the ground to Air Mauritius’ new fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft, keeping the new-generation aircraft connected to the vital back-end systems no matter where they fly.

In October 2017, Air Mauritius introduced the first two new-generation Airbus A350 aircraft with a further four expected to join the fleet over the next few years. The Airbus A350 is one of the most advanced aircraft flying today. It brings with it a unique complexity with large data exchange in its own unique protocol – Media Independent Aircraft Messaging (MIAM). This is designed to exchange large amounts of data between the aircraft and ground systems using multiple communication channels.

SITAONAIR – SITA’s sister company focused on connected aircraft – has developed a solution to understand this complex MIAM communication and simplify integration into airline systems and processes. Additionally, Air Mauritius wanted this exchange over Inmarsat SwiftBroadband (SBB). This required SITAONAIR to work closely with all stakeholders, including Airbus and IBM, to ensure the successful launch of A350 operations and in the process, hosting the entire service in the SITA ATI Cloud.

At the gate, SITA’s wireless connectivity allows the airline to quickly and securely exchange vital aircraft information generated during flight with both the airline’s own systems as well as with Airbus and IBM. At the same time key information ahead of the next flight can be uploaded, including passenger and flight information.

This connectivity allows for rapid exchange of aircraft information which will help Air Mauritius speed up aircraft turnaround times while ensuring seamless management of the aircraft’s systems by ensuring complete connectivity globally.

Donald Li Ying, Vice President – Information Systems at Air Mauritius, said: “As Air Mauritius begins to introduce a new-generation of connected aircraft such as the Airbus A350, it is vital that we have a partner that can support the transfer of data both in the air and on the ground. This is vital to leverage the full benefit that connected aircraft can bring to the airline and our passengers.”

Maneesh Jaikrishna, SITA Vice President Indian Subcontinent, Eastern & Southern Africa said: “The continued growth in connected aircraft such at the Airbus A350 is opening new possibilities to enhance the passenger experience on board as well drive new efficiencies in how these aircraft are managed.”

“These new aircraft have become flying data centers which rely on world-class connectivity in order to exchange information on everything from engine data, passenger requirements to updates at the destination. This requires reliable, fast connectivity no matter where the aircraft finds itself. At SITA we are working with airlines globally to support that connectivity and ensure that the full benefits of connected aircraft can be unlocked.”

A total of 30% of airlines are already operating connected aircraft within their fleet and 73% of airlines will either operate or have taken delivery of connected aircraft in the next three years, according to SITA Air Transport IT Insights 2017.

Retrofit installations now underway for Inmarsat’s next-generation inflight broadband service on Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777 aircraft

United Kingdom | August 29, 2017– Inmarsat (ISAT.L), the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, has obtained a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for GX Aviation retrofit installations on Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777 aircraft. The milestone follows an announcement in June that Qatar Airways will be the first Middle Eastern megacarrier to offer GX Aviation to passengers onboard more than 130 of its flagship aircraft.

The STC confirms approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the GX Aviation terminal installation, wiring and placement of Wireless Access Points and servers on-board the aircraft.

GX Aviation has already been equipped as linefit and is awaiting system activation on Qatar Airways’ latest Airbus A350s, and following the STC approval, installations have now begun on a retrofit basis across the airline’s Boeing 777 fleet. The retrofits will be undertaken by Qatar Airways maintenance teams during scheduled maintenance windows.

GX Aviation is the world’s first global, high-throughput satellite (HTS) service from a single operator. Its unique architecture allows airline passengers to browse the internet, stream videos and check social media uninterrupted, with an on-board connectivity experience on par with mobile broadband services available on the ground. The next-generation service is expected to go live on Qatar Airways aircraft later this year, following an inflight test campaign across Qatar Airways’ global flight routes.

Leo Mondale, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said: “This is the first STC to be attained and managed solely by our team at Inmarsat, and taking this momentous step with one of the world’s leading carriers has strengthened our position as a key player in the inflight connectivity market.”

He continued: “With GX Aviation already equipped on Qatar Airways’ latest Airbus A350s, the first Boeing 777 retrofit installation already complete and several more underway, we are now gearing up to launch GX Aviation across the flagship fleet. We’re looking forward to seeing Qatar Airways’ passengers experience consistent, reliable and high-speed Wi-Fi in the sky when the service goes live later this year.”

Several of Inmarsat’s industry partners will play key roles in the project with Qatar Airways. The fleet will use Inmarsat’s Advanced Integrated Services Manager (AISM); Honeywell Aerospace’s high-speed JetWave terminals will allow aircraft to connect to the GX Aviation network; and EAD Aerospace will provide their unique SUMS (SATCOM Universal Mounting System) installation solution and the associated engineering package.

Inmarsat is transforming the global aviation industry by bringing the opportunity of complete connectivity to every aircraft and flight path in the world. As the only single aviation broadband provider capable of connecting the complete aircraft from cabin to cockpit, Inmarsat’s world-leading passenger solutions are complemented by its industry standard safety and operations services.

Airline installing inflight entertainment and global connectivity systems on airline’s new A350 fleet
Lake Forest, CA | July 20, 2017– Asiana Airlines, one of Asia’s largest carriers, has begun revenue service with its first A350 aircraft using Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s (Panasonic) industry-leading inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) solution. This first aircraft, which was line fit with Panasonic solutions by Airbus, entered passenger service on May 15th having been delivered to the carrier on April 26th.

Panasonic’s eX3 system delivers a premium passenger experience through features including audio and video on demand, and a massive content library that can offer over 50 movies, 60 TV shows, games, music and more.

The aircraft will also offer Panasonic’s global connectivity service – the only broadband inflight connectivity service operating in every country in the world today – enabling passengers to access the internet via broadband inflight Wi-Fi, and to send and receive calls and text messages.

Hideo Nakano, Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Asiana Airlines. Our world-class systems provide their passengers with a globally available and premium inflight entertainment and connectivity experience.”

• Zodiac Inflight Innovation (Zii) is becoming a force in the world of IFEC 45 airline customers, over 550 aircraft in service, and over 650 aircraft in committed backlog

Singapore | October 24, 2016– Zodiac Inflight Innovations (Zii – a Zodiac Aerospace company) has in the past six months secured well over 200 new RAVE AVOD IFE systems to equip commercial aircraft, four new A350 customers, 150 committed B737Max aircraft, their first A380 customer as well as over 200 Global Express Connectivity equipped aircraft committed with the first installation scheduled early in 2017.

Zodiac Inflight Innovations is quietly becoming a force in the world of IFEC. Zii first hit the IFE scene with their revolutionary new Seat Centric IFE system in 2011 and just five years later they are growing with over 45 airline customers, over 550 aircraft in service, and over 650 aircraft in committed backlog.

Zii has added to their basic AVOD system (“RAVE Centric”) a wireless IFE system (RAVE Wireless) and a line fit Ka-band connectivity system (RAVE Broadband) that is available on all Airbus platforms including the A350 XWB and A380. Today, Zii is able to offer airlines a complete IFEC solution complete with all of the advanced features including 2nd screen applications and a truly personalized experience for passengers. Zii is line fit on the Airbus A320, A330, A380 and A350 and is working to become line fit on Boeing aircraft and is adding standard seat pairings with all of the major seat suppliers.

“We like to think of ourselves as different and disruptive” says Larry Girard, Executive Vice President for Zodiac Inflight Innovations. “We are disruptive by design; our seat centric architecture has fewer LRU’s, it’s simple to operate and maintain with unprecedented availability and no dark flights – ever. Coupled with a common software platform and standard parts, we are commercially disruptive as well.”

Zii has this year added an aftermarket support package to round out their portfolio of products. With RAVE Care, an airline can tailor a support package to its specific needs for a fixed price per month per aircraft. RAVE Care can include everything that an airline needs to maintain and operate their IFE systems, including spares, repairs, customer abuse and even content integration. Included in RAVE Care is a software guarantee that means airlines never have to worry about the cost of updating their Passenger User Interface and features over the lifetime of the system.

“Our RAVE systems are much easier to maintain than traditional IFE systems which allows airlines to maintain their own aircraft without the added expense of paying a traditional IFE provider for support” says Matt Smith, CEO for Zodiac Inflight Innovations. “Zii is a company that is different by design; our focus is always on putting our customers first. We want to be a company that Airlines want to work with; customer focused and innovation driven, we relentlessly pursue our core value of RAVE – Reliable, Affordable and Very Easy. It’s more than a name, it’s who we are.”

And their operational performance seems to bear this out. Zii’s on-time delivery and repair turnaround time performance is over 99%. The RAVE system reliability is over 99.5% and we are told that commercially RAVE is the most affordable system on the market today

• Lessor to meet market demand with more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft

Farnborough, UK | July 11, 2016– Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL), the Los Angeles based aircraft leasing company announced a firm order for three A350-900s and one A321 at the Farnborough Airshow to meet strong market demand for more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft.

Including today’s announcement, ALC’s portfolio of Airbus aircraft stands at a total of 267, of which 70 are widebodies (16 A330ceo, 25 A330neo, 24 A350-900, 5 A350-1000) and 197 are single-aisles (30 A320ceo, 22 A320neo, 27 A321ceo, 118 A321neo).

“These additional A350 and A321 aircraft were needed to fill ongoing customer lease placements as we continue to experience strong A350 and A321 demand,” said John L. Plueger, Air Lease Corporation’s CEO and President.

“ALC, is a leading lessor and longstanding partner of Airbus. We would like to thank ALC for their continued confidence in our Airbus products. Their customers will be delighted with the unbeatable economics as well as the superior cabin comfort in all classes for their passengers.” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “

The world’s latest generation airliner, the A350 XWB, is the newest member of Airbus’ modern, comfortable & efficient widebody product family. Offering customers a game-changing reduction in fuel-burn, the long-range A350 XWB features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs. For passengers, it brings new levels of in-flight comfort, with an extra-wide cabin offering more personal space in all classes, including 18 inch wide seats as standard in economy class.

The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with almost 12,600 orders since launch and more than 7,100 aircraft delivered to more than 320 operators worldwide. Thanks to their widest cabin, all members of the A320 Family offer unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18” wide seats in economy as standard.

• Airport mapping database Lido/AMDB meets criteria of Letter of Acceptance Type 1 and Type 2 from EASA and can be used at A350 and A380 as of now

Raunheim, Germany | May 3, 2016– Lufthansa Systems today announced that is has received the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) Type 2 from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its Lido/AMDB airport mapping database. This LoA certifies navigation data for delivery to end users. Lufthansa Systems supported the EASA significantly in developing the complex test procedure and is the first provider of airport mapping data to be certified by EASA.

The airport mapping database supports pilots during all taxiing procedures that could pose a challenge depending on the airport size and weather conditions. In order to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew, the Lido/AMDB data needs to be absolutely reliable.

In 2014, Lufthansa Systems received the LoA Type 1, which confirms that its processes for producing airport layout data comply with the conditions and quality standards required by EASA. In certain types of aircraft, such as the Airbus A350 and A380, these data are more closely tied to the plane’s avionics systems and must therefore meet the special test requirements of the LoA Type 2 from EASA.

In the A350, for example, the Lido/AMDB data is used in calculations made by the Runway Overrun Prevention System (ROPS). The ROPS on the A350 is an additional function of the Brake To Vacate system (BTV), which calculates the necessary braking distance during the approach with the help of Lido/AMDB data. If there are deviations, the system supports pilots by alerting them if the available landing distance has been determined to be too short.

“We are delighted that our Lido/AMDB database meets the high certification standards of EASA so we can now cover the entire data supply chain,” said Frank Wigold, Director Quality Management at Lufthansa Systems.

Lufthansa Systems is the first provider of airport mapping data to be certified by EASA. Unlike the certificates held by other organizations, the LoA Type 2 requires that the data be checked prior to each delivery – which is 13 times a year. This unique test procedure was developed by Lufthansa Systems and assessed by EASA.

The LoA Type 2 certifies data compatibility for the ANF A350 XWB, OANS A380, Single Aisle and Long Range platforms. You can find more information about the Letter of Acceptance from EASA here: https://www.easa.europa.eu/navigation-database-suppliers-letters-acceptance#main-content

This issue starts the review of show vendors we talked to during AIX 16 but, as you know, there were over 500 IFE booths so we will do the best in the next few issues to cover those we had the opportunity to interview. Noted also, we have uploaded all our show still shots and you can find them here. Over the next few weeks we will try to outline all we talked to so hopefully you will get a better understanding of the some of the show participants and their products, whether you went to Hamburg or not. Further, we try to dig a little deeper into company products and services – no matter what size the company we talk to, because quite often new ideas spring from new talent – let’s get started.

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Gogo

Hamburg really scored the visitors at their 17th annual AIX show and with well over 16,000 visitors and 180 airlines, it’s no wonder that Gogo brought their B737-500 test airplane to the Hamburg airport for demo rides on the 2Ku system. No we weren’t on it, but we got in contact with Gogo’s Steve Nolan and he had a few interesting comments that we wanted to share with our readers. Firstly, we note that the Gogo/Airbus installation partnering on Airbus Bizjets is a solution that encompasses the retrofit installation of 2Ku on new A350 aircraft. And while we are on this subject, Gogo announced that they have partnered with Airbus to install, on a retrofit basis, 2Ku on new Airbus A350 aircraft. Delta will be the first U.S. airline to launch domestic 2Ku service as its first narrow-body aircraft takes flight later this month. Currently, they have more than 850 aircraft commitments to 2Ku across 10 airlines. And why, Steve told IFExpress that connectivity is booming: “We recently conducted a global study on in-flight connectivity and entertainment and found that the demand for in-flight connectivity services continues to soar and drive passenger behavior. When it comes to Wi-Fi, wireless entertainment, Live TV, App messaging and mobile voice, all categories lead the international demand over the US/Canada. Our global study showed that when choosing a flight, more than half of global travelers factor Wi-Fi into their choice of airline. The U.S. market has become virtually saturated with in-flight Wi-Fi and wireless in-flight entertainment. But, the interest in these services is even greater for travelers in the rest of the world, where the proliferation of in-flight connectivity is still in its early stages. Outside the U.S. and Canada, 86 percent of travelers say they are interested in using in-flight connectivity vs. 75 percent within the U.S. and Canada. When it comes to wireless in-flight entertainment, 76 percent of global travelers show interest vs. 67 percent of U.S. and Canadian travelers. The percentage of passengers boarding a flight with at least one Wi-Fi enabled device also continues to climb. Today, 90 percent of global passengers brought at least one Wi-Fi enabled device on-board their last flight. When it comes to smartphones and tablets, Android is the operating system of choice among global travelers. There are more than twice as many Android powered smartphones as iPhones being carried onboard the world’s commercial aircraft but we serve iOs as well.”

We also asked Steve about their status of AeroMexico and he noted that If you don’t remember, Gogo has signed a definitive agreement with Aeromexico, Mexico’s global airline, to provide in-flight Internet and wireless in-flight entertainment service on Embraer and Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Aeromexico. They are flying with their first aircraft (more installed) and they have been touting their service.  Aeromexico was the first airline to commit to 2Ku and Gogo expects to deliver peak speeds of more than 70 Mbps to the aircraft and more than 100 Mbps to the aircraft when next generation satellites become available. They note that their 2Ku antenna is two times more spectrally efficient than other antennas in the commercial aviation market, which makes it capable of providing more bandwidth at less cost. We think “Muy Pronto” says it all!

Lastly, we want to commend Gogo for their production and free distribution of their 100+ page book: “From the Ground Up: How the Internet of Things will Give Rise to Connected Aviation.” The book gathers insight from more than 30 of the foremost leaders in aviation and technology and is free here. Get one… It is a very good introductory aviation read on IoT.

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Axinom

Next we move on to Axinom, the European Software folks who absolutely understand data needed to supply inflight entertainment (content management system), DRM, and content delivery. Before we get lost in their buzz word methodology, we will let Marketing Manager Sara Pepic tell their story. But before we do, you might want to download the overview of their ‘products’ in aviation. Noted Sara: “The products/services we provide to the In-flight entertainment (IFE) service providers are: Axinom Content Management System (CMS), Axinom Digital Rights Management (DRM), Axinom Content Delivery System (CDS). We concentrate 100% on software, no hardware. We do not resell hardware, we provide software running on proven-standards based commercial off the shelf hardware certified for the aviation industry.” She went on to describe their software service: “There are three areas where you can understand the need for the above mentioned products:

a. The digital rights management and players (Google Widevine, Apple Fairplay, Microsoft PlayReady) to be able to play Hollywood content (this is “premium content”) on personal devices and any digital platform basically.

b. The content management system that allows you to manage all kinds of content (movies, newspaper, magazines, crew and passenger information, flight information, shopping items, payments, health data, etc.).

c. The content delivery system you need for two purposes: to bring all kinds of digital content over different pipes (4G 3G, Satellite, USB, SD, WiFi,…) to and from the vessel, and you need it to manage this in a protected and secure way.”

“Therefore,” she continued, “we recommend you watch the following video explanation. In this video, CEO Axinom Aerospace Ralph Wagner and Stefanie Schuster (Business Developer for Axinom Products) explain the entire workflow of Axinom Content Delivery System. How the content (e.g.news, magazines, live content, passenger data, aircraft and flight data, music, shop items, reporting data etc.) can be securely and robustly synchronized between on-ground and on-board storage. Some very important features of these products may be found on the following page under ‘Key Highlights’.”

Assuming you have downloaded the three (3) product charts, but in case you haven’t there are two reasons why you should – 1. Because it is clearly the way to understand what software and services they sell, and what their software does…and where it does it. 2. Never have we seen the full universe of related software, hardware, and task management needed for content handling in one understandable chart (3 actually). Get them and see what we mean, if for no other reason, Axinom understands the content universe and you need a copy of it to understand how and where the content lives in an IFE system – Brilliant!

After the show, we were curious enough about Axinom to ask their CEO to answer a few questions and you can find his answers here.

Finally, here are a few links to videos that explain the whole story – study them and you will probably know more about content management software than your boss!

Please find the summary of their corporate profile here
More information and important details about Axinom products:

Axinom in the aerospace industry: 

Axinom | Kurgartenstr. 37 | 90762 Fuerth, Germany
phone: +49 911 80109-17
pepic@axinom.com | www.axinom.com

(Editor’s Note: We were really impressed with this company for at least 2 reasons. First, they were the first group that developed a cartoon layout of the IFE content world that we never understood, and secondly, they are very nice people and helped us with the story considerably – give them a call if your content is in need of help!)

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VTS

VTS is an off-shoot of Inflight Services Inc. the company which pioneered and very first to install a movie entertainment system on board a commercial aircraft about 45 years ago. Inflight was for many years the main supplier entertainment systems to the airline industry. When Inflight ceased operations at the end of 1986, the core of its senior technical staff joined in forming Video Technology Services Inc., VTS to continue supplying the customer airlines with advanced video products and the highest levels of service. The company was bought out recently, we chatted with Web Barth, one of the new management and he said: “An airline with 180 VTS DVP units on 17 aircraft has ‘documented’ a $1 Million annual savings on videotape maintenance and that does not include the savings from the videotape logistics and replacement expense.” He went on: “When you have some airline repeat for 15+ years, you get to know a lot about maintaining older systems and airlines needs with regards to maintaining entertainment quality with affordable practical solutions.” VTS’ products, we learned,  include a full range of audio, video and communication equipment for system installation on any type of aircraft configuration including individual, overhead, and Audio/Video On Demand via seat integrated entertainment systems. The company stressed their ‘lowest industry price’ more than once and it seems that it is a feature they are quite proud of… noted Barth: “VTS understands how a broken seatback system provides a huge passenger service problem, especially on older long haul aircraft, but $4 – $6,000 per seat for a new seatback system ($2-$5 Million replacement) that investment in older aircraft can be daunting. The solution is the new VTS Seatback Retrofit and Upgrade System, which simply removes the old seatback monitor and very heavy video cables and junction boxes and then installing a new VTS Streaming Server and WAPs and VTS high definition seatback, touch screens, powered by the older system’s seat power, each with its own WiFi antenna and receiver. The benefits are: Immediate IFE System Improvement, cost, weight and fuel savings; Video resolution increases 400% and with new and larger screen 7″ vs 5.6″, with modern movie format 16 x 9”. The biggest benefits are savings; 1/3 of cost of conventional system replacement and very significant fuel saving by reducing 80% of the weight (500 pounds vs 2,500+pounds), which could pay for the new and better entertainment system in 2-4 years in fuel savings alone.” We asked about installation and he told IFExpress: “Now, airlines can have an affordable, super light weight In-flight entertainment system that can be installed in hours and on any sized aircraft from commuters, regional jets to Wide-bodies of any age providing the first entertainment system or IFE replacement/supplement system. Further, they can have fleet wide IFE even in their smallest aircraft or cost effectively replace/supplement an obsolete system. The VTS Streaming system server and WAPs weigh about 20 pounds and install in a few hours. For some airlines out VTS Turnkey Entertainment Content Programs can be very attractive as VTS can also provision and frequently refresh entertainment content in various languages for airlines worldwide.”  It looks like airlines that want a low cost, lightweight system have another solution, VTS – check out their website or give Web a call.
VTS Video Technology Services, Inc., 8 Aerial Drive, Syosset, New York 90000
Telephone: +1 (516) 937-9700
Contact: WebBarth@VTS.Global.com

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MORE NEWS:

• Ben Fuller is now with fts-aero and is Director of Marketing, Americas.
• Need a new, small earphone for travel? You might wait for the SONY Xperia. It could be the future of high tech earbuds!
• Heard about WebRTC? You might find someone on your next flight using it…legally or illegally, we guess? WebRTC – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Want a bigger seat back screen on your plane? Please Let These Meganormous Screens Be the Future of Flying | WIRED

Trip Note: Lufthansa provided a great flight to Hamburg and here’s a great DLH B747 seat tip… try to get in row 29… same leg spacing as Economy Plus but at the regular economy price!

• Delta Air Lines Will Take Delivery of 2Ku-Equipped A350s in 2017

Chicago, IL | March 6, 2016– Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO), the global leader in providing broadband connectivity solutions and wireless entertainment to the aviation industry, announced today that it has partnered with Airbus subsidiary’s Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC) to install, on retrofit basis, its ground-breaking in-flight connectivity technology – 2Ku – on new Airbus A350 aircraft.

Until now, only first-generation gimbaled antennas have been available for the A350. Under this new agreement, airlines may elect to add Gogo’s 2Ku system to the A350 on a retrofit basis with a factory authorized installation from ACJC. Delta Air Lines will be the first customer for such installation and expects delivery of its first 2Ku-equipped A350 in 2017. Additionally, Delta will be the first U. S. airline to launch domestic 2Ku service as its first narrow-body aircraft takes flight later this month.

“We are looking forward to working with Airbus Corporate Jet Centre to offer this product to airlines,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO. “Working with ACJC and Airbus to make 2Ku available on the A350 is great news for airlines interested in the most future-proof in-flight connectivity solution.”

Gogo has announced 2Ku awards for more than 850 aircraft.

“We are delighted to answer Airbus operators’ needs and bring this new technology to the A350 on a retrofit basis,” said Joël Frugier, General Manager for Airbus Corporate Jet Centre. “We are here to serve Airbus Customers and support their cabin and connectivity upgrade requests”

Paris Air Show | June 18, 2015– Today at the Paris Air Show, Thales was selected by Air Caraibes to supply the AVANT inflight entertainment and connectivity solutions for their new fleet of six A350 XWB aircraft.

Air Caraibes will be an A350 XWB launch customer in France. The three
A350-900 and three A350-1000 series aircraft will be equipped with the
state-of-the-art Thales AVANT system based on Android technologies to
service business, premium-economy and economy cabins as a scaled
solution. The first deliveries are scheduled to enter service in December
of 2016.

Business class passengers will enjoy 17 inch screens with the Touch
Passenger Media Unit, in-seat power, dual audio jack and USB port. In
premium economy, passengers will enjoy 11.6 inch screens, dual audio
jacks and USB port. The economy cabin will be equipped with 10.1 inch
seatback screens.

Ka-band connectivity will be offered to passengers through Wi-Fi and
seatback screens. In addition, passengers will have the possibility to
access wireless IFE for content streaming on their personal electronic
devices.

Thales has also reached an agreement with Air Caraibes to be the Value
Added Reseller (VAR), which will facilitate the airline’s management of
the connectivity solution to the passenger.

AVANT is available to all, single and twin aisle Airbus and Boeing aircraft
and has already been selected by many worldwide airlines. More than
130 aircraft currently fly with the AVANT system and total orders
exceed 500.

750,000 passengers each day across 75 partner airlines use Thales
InFlyt Experience systems, making Thales one of the most successful
developers of IFE systems in the world.

• Qatar: launch customer for OnAir’s connectivity

Geneva | January 7, 2015– OnAir’s full inflight connectivity suite, including Mobile OnAir and Internet OnAir, is being installed as line fit on Qatar Airways’ brand new A350s the first of which was unveiled in Doha today, January 7, 2015. Passengers can now choose between mobile phone connectivity and Wi-Fi, depending on their preference.

While flying, passengers have been taking to social media to say how much they like inflight connectivity and appreciate staying online.

“OnAir’s innovation has ensured that the internal technology matches the ground-breaking work that has gone into the construction of the A350,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “We are helping Qatar Airways give its passengers the most up-to-date solutions which fall in line with passengers’ expectations of a 5-Star Airline.”

OnAir’s next generation inflight connectivity services, using GX Aviation, will be launched on the A350 in 2016. Inmarsat’s ground-breaking global Ka-band network will provide up to 50Mbs to the aircraft. Importantly, the passenger experience will be consistent across the globe.

“OnAir has been at the forefront of the inflight connectivity market since the very beginning. I am very proud that we’re continuing our tradition with another first for the industry with the launch of GX Aviation,” continued Ian Dawkins.  “We understand the importance of providing the very best services available to the aircraft. Qatar Airways is a long-standing and loyal OnAir customer – its choice of OnAir inflight connectivity for its A350s speaks volumes about the service we are able to deliver.”

The OnAir-connected A350 will initially fly on the Doha-Frankfurt route.

Something is going on in Seattle. Sure, Boeing stock has dropped some 5% because of recent announcements of reduced earnings, reduced commercial aircraft production as a result of sluggish demand, and finally, proposed reductions in military spending by the Obama administration. The airline traffic decline will not rebound as easily as in the past. Further, when the turnaround does occur, oil prices and the cost of money will not aid the planemakers rebound. Internet blogs have their way with the Chicago aerospace manufacturers’ management while Airbus seems to plow ahead with the A350. Even the military tanker program is threatened with program bifurcation…GE’s boss, Immelt, is recommending two manufacturers. Is there an end to this negative energy? Nope!

Last week, warned of reduced first quarter earnings in 2009, while announcing reduced production of the B777 to 5 aircraft per month from 7 beginning next year. They will also cancel a planned modest rate increase of the B747-8 and B767. The B737 rates remain unchanged for now, but as Embraer and Bombardier eat into the shorter haul, single-asile plane market, those rates may be in jeopardy. Finally, we have a Aviation statewide council being formed at the gubernatorial level – why – to keep Boeing in the State of Washington. Surely there is something a foot and an evaluation of the sales declines and existent costs, Chicago decision makers are surely looking at other venues for cost reductions. But what does all this mean for InFlight Entertainment?

If Boeing plans production cuts of some 24 B777s (perhaps, two thirds of those were passenger versions), that would reduce 18 B777’s so equipped. Each B777 might have a total of ~$3M of IFE inboard and that would total approx. $63M. Also, there is often a corresponding fleet retrofit program that accompanies new airplane deliveries to maintain fleet commonality. Depending upon who the B777 customers are, their retrofits might either be cancelled on slid to the right. Let’s guess this means another 9 aircraft retrofits are lost so that would total about $32M. All told $95M lost not including any B767/B747-8 cuts. Hmm… sounds like IFE just took about a 5% sales hit… and that doesn’t include fleet retrofits not driven by new aircraft sales. It has long been the case, that the economy drives aircraft sales with a lag that ranges from six months to one year. That change trickles down to changes in IFE sales some one year to eighteen months down the road. If we add Airbus impacts, these numbers could easily double. Hang on IFE and stay tuned.

Airbus underlines its position as leader in cabin innovation and efficiency driver at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Focusing on the importance of cabin efficiency, one lever of its overall cabin philosophy: “Passenger at heart, airline in mind”, the corresponding advantages and benefits of the A320 Family, A330/A340 Family, A350 and A380 are displayed. In addition, initiatives to drive greater efficiency from current and future cabins are presented.

The A320 Family Enhanced Cabin, offering better luggage stowage and a quieter cabin packaged with a more modern look and feel, has already been delivered in more than 650 aircraft, since its launch at the beginning of 2007. Moreover, the Enhanced Cabin is now also available as a weight-reducing retrofit for in-service aircraft.

The A350 XWB, Airbus’ newest product, with entry into service in 2013, will set new standards in cabin efficiency and passenger comfort. To this end, this year’s display will focus on the modular design of the cabin platform, offering a full range of cabin designs while enhancing aircraft value.

For the A380, Airbus will illustrate the popularity of the aircraft with special focus of the cabin. Experienced already by more than a million passengers worldwide after starting service end of 2007, the A380 is proving to be tremendously popular, attracting higher load factors and higher yields. Passengers and crews have been delighted by the innovative cabin, its quietness, comfort and service as well as operational efficiency.

The Airbus Upgrade Services team will be present on the stand to advise airlines how to further enhance in-service aircraft cabins by integrating latest technologies and providing innovative engineering solutions for all Airbus product families.

An update on SPICE (SPace Innovative Catering Equipment) will complete the Airbus presence. SPICE is an Airbus-driven initiative for a new galley concept, which benefits all stakeholders by reducing weight, increasing revenue space whilst improving ergonomics and designing for future food hygiene and recycling requirements.

The Airbus stand is located in Hall B7, 7D20.