20 April 2009 – Zurich based Swiss International Air Lines has received its first new A330-300. The aircraft is the first of nine A330-300s ordered in September 2007 to expand the Swiss’ medium to long haul network.

Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 772B EP engines, the carrier’s first A330-300 is fitted in an all-new, comfortable three-class layout with a total of 236 seats (183 seats in Economy, 45 in Business Class and 8 in First Class).

“We are more than pleased to introduce the eco-efficient A330-300 into our fleet. Its true wide body cabin combined with our all-new, high-class product increases passenger appeal, comfort and style, while its outstanding performance strengthens our competitiveness and reduces the environmental impact at the same time,” said Christoph Franz, CEO of Swiss.

By adding A330-300s to its Airbus fleet, Swiss will fully benefit from the advantages of the unique Airbus commonality, allowing to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers. This gives Swiss more operational flexibility and will result in significant cost savings.

“We are proud to see Swiss expanding their services with the unrivalled A330 aircraft. Through state of the art technology and outstanding economics, the A330 is a ‘first class’ aircraft for a ‘first class’ airline. Swiss and Airbus make a perfect fit,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers.

The ability to better match market requirements in terms of range and efficiency makes the twin engine A330 one of the most popular wide-body aircraft in service today. With over 11 million hours in operation the A330 has demonstrated its very low operating costs per seat and is proven to be the most efficient aircraft in its class. With a true wide-body fuselage the A330-300 is the most economic means of flying medium range routes whilst offering true long haul comfort. It has a range of up to 5,650 nm / 10,500 km with a full passenger load. Orders for the aircraft stand at more than 390 from 39 customers.

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.

Geneva, Switzerland, 3 April 2009 – Qatar Airways and OnAir today announced agreement to install Mobile OnAir inflight passenger communications services on the airline’s entire single-aisle Airbus fleet. They will operate in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and across Europe.

Passengers will be able to stay connected inflight using their own mobile phones or BlackBerry-type devices to send and receive text messages and emails, and access the Internet. They will also be able to access the Internet using their own laptops fitted with GSM data cards. Airlines equipped with OnAir services can choose to provide voice and data or data services only, depending on time of day and passenger preferences.

Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways, said “Our commitment is to provide travellers with the very highest quality of service in the air and on the ground. The latest technology provided by Mobile OnAir is absolutely in line with Qatar Airways’ Five Star ranking for service and excellence.”

“OnAir is proud to have been selected after a thorough evaluation by one of the most demanding airlines in terms of passenger service and comfort,” said Benoit Debains, CEO of OnAir. “Mobile OnAir provides global coverage, a full range of service and the highest levels of performance.”

Mobile OnAir uses the industry’s most advanced and extensive infrastructure for mobile communications, along with Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, high capacity services from Inmarsat 4th generation satellites. This gives passengers and airlines the best reach and performance available today.

Passenger can use Mobile OnAir to stay in touch as they fly on over 6,000 flights each month, to over 160 cities in over 30 countries across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Qatar Airways announcement, which is subject to signing a service agreement, comes amidst mounting demand for inflight passenger communications. A growing number of commercial airlines and private aviation companies either currently offer OnAir inflight communications services or will offer them in the near future. OnAir is negotiating agreements with a number of major airlines which will be announced during the course of 2009.

OnAir also serves private VIP and Governmental customers through partnerships with Airbus Corporate Jets, Aviation Centre Cologne and Jet Aviation.

According to a recent passenger survey, 80% of passengers who have used Mobile OnAir services on selected flights would like these services to be available on every flight.

About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways will operate a fleet of 110 aircraft by 2013 – almost double the existing size. The airline has ordered 80 Airbus A350s, 60 Boeing 787s and 32 Boeing 777s, with deliveries of the latter having started in November 2007. The airline is one of the customers of the twin-deck Airbus A380 ‘super jumbos’ with five on order and scheduled for delivery from 2012. At the Farnborough Air Show in 2008, the airline also ordered six Airbus A321s. Qatar Airways is due to move to the New Doha International Airport in 2012 when the first phase of the new facility is scheduled to open. For more information, visit www.ndiaproject.com.

Qatar Airways is one of only six airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service and excellence awarded by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency. Skytrax also named Qatar Airways’ cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the sixth year running in 2008 and the airline was voted Best in the Middle East for the third year in a row following a survey of more than 15 million passengers worldwide. For more information, log onto www.qatarairways.com.

About OnAir
OnAir is the leading provider of inflight communications, enabling passengers to stay connected during their flight, and airlines to offer new services and generate additional revenues. Present on four of five continents, OnAir provides the only air-travel industry sponsored solution, now available to regular and low-cost airlines, to private and corporate jets, on Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and on long and short-haul flights. OnAir is the only provider of services based on SwiftBroadband, the latest high-bandwidth satellite technology from Inmarsat, which offers GSM and GPRS for voice, data and Internet.

OnAir was incorporated in February 2005 and is owned by SITA, the leading IT solutions provider to the air transport world and Airbus, the leading aircraft manufacturer. OnAir is a member of the GSM Association and an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for SwiftBroadband services.

More information about OnAir is available at www.onair.aero.

The Chinese have the same word for crisis and chance and the aircraft interiors industry must use innovation to capitalise on the opportunities that are created by the economic downturn. So said Klaus Röwe, VP Cabin & Cargo at Airbus, one of the panel of four leading industry experts that took part in the press conference that marked the opening of Aircraft Interiors Expo today, 31st March 2009.

His Airbus colleague, Bob Lange, Head of Aircraft Interiors Marketing, added that “you only have to look at the exhibits on the floor below to see how innovation is being applied to a range of areas.”

Klaus Brauer, Director, Passenger Satisfaction & Revenue, Boeing, said that the focus is now on Super Premium class passengers who are seeking a step down that nevertheless meets their expectations. “You can’t let such a time pass without finding the opportunities in it”, he said.

The need to be positive was echoed by Bernhard Conrad, SVP, Chief Technology Officer, Lufthansa Technik, who said it was important that the industry does not over-react to the economic downturn.

Katie Murphy, Event Director of Aircraft Interiors Expo, stated that this year’s show featured over 500 exhibitors from 25 different countries and that more than 170 airlines had pre-registered to visit.

The next Aircraft Interiors Expo takes place at the Hamburg Messe from 18 to 20 May 2010. www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com

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.

March 23, 2009 (Brea, CA)—Kuwait Airways, the national airline of Kuwait, will begin using 7-inch touchscreen PAV705 portable media players from The IMS Company on May 1 on European and United States routes in First and Business Class cabins, according to IMS president, Rod Farley.

The players will be used on two B777, four A340, and five A300 aircraft. Over the three-year agreement, The IMS Company will provide several hundred media players and accessories, ground support equipment and recurring content management services.

“Kuwait Airways has selected the IMS PAV705 Portable Media Player as part of enhancing our First and Business Class Inflight Entertainment Service,” said Waleed Al Hooty, Assistant Director Onboard Services, Ground Handling Department, for Kuwait Airways Corporation. “IMS has been the only company to have a complete range of portable media players along with an extensive clientele. In this short period of time, IMS has proved their genuine commitment to providing excellent services to Kuwait Airways.”

Each portable device has a 160GB storage capacity and will contain over 284 hours of video content—including 72 movies—along with a large offering of audio content and games. A generous variety of Hollywood movies, Arabic movies, and Arabic and Hindi classic movies, along with news and current affairs, comedies, documentaries and sports programs, and Kuwaiti television are included as a part of the entertainment package provided to Kuwait Airways’ premium class passengers.

The PAV705 is the lightest weight, most compact and best value portable media player on the market today, according to Harry Gray, IMS vice president sales and marketing. These attributes along with its stylish ergonomic design and ease of use make it the most popular device in the airline market.

The leading provider of portable entertainment solution in inflight entertainment, The IMS Company will be exhibiting its products in Hall B6, space #6B10, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo on March 31 to April 2, 2009, in Hamburg, Germany.

About The IMS Company:

Founded in 1996, The IMS Company is an entertainment and communications solutions provider in the travel industry and a systems and software solutions provider to the aerospace industry and the military. IMS serves more than twenty commercial airlines with portable entertainment, wireless communications, and content management services, as well as the provision of advanced systems and software engineering support in the development and deployment of the latest in inflight entertainment, cabin avionics, and media distribution systems. IMS also provides engineering services and software development services to unmanned vehicles and software-defined radios. IMS has expanded into the provisioning of content services and hardware solutions for business aviation, rental car, rail passenger, and related markets reaching the traveling public. In 2008, IMS was named the 14th fastest-growing privately-held company in technology-heavy Orange County, California by the Orange County Business Journal, up from the 24th fastest-growing in the 2007 survey.

For more information see: www.imsco-us.com.

3 March 2009 – Airbus is highlighting its position as innovation leader at this year’s CeBIT Expo in Hannover by presenting intelligent catering solutions using RFID. Cost effective catering logistics have become a true competitive advantage for airlines and caterers. Airbus is leading the three year research and technology project iC-RFID “Intelligent Catering via RFID”, which focuses on improving the effectiveness of the entire process chain from the caterer to the airline passenger.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) allows automatic identification, locating and tracking of objects by means of electro-magnetic waves. Airbus and its research partners adapted this technology to enhance the logistic chain for aircraft catering by labeling and monitoring all goods moved to or from an aircraft.

In addition, Airbus proposes ways to improve service quality by using RFID to identify items on the menu and communicating their cooking program directly to the oven. This ensures that the food-preparation time is more efficient as well as that the food reaches the passenger in its most delicious condition.

The booth of Airbus and its research partners at the CeBIT Expo is in Hall No. B17 in Hall 7.

Most efficient aircraft in its class

Airbus has delivered the 500th A321 ever produced. The aircraft was handed over to Air France at Airbus’ Delivery Centre in Hamburg. The A321 is the largest member of the best selling A320 Family. It is the most efficient single-aisle aircraft in its segment.

Air France’s A321 is equipped with Airbus’ enhanced single-aisle cabin and can accommodate 174 passengers in a comfortable two-class layout. The aircraft is powered by CFM 56-5B/3 engines.

“Air France was the first airline to operate the A320 and in our 75th anniversary year we are pleased to be receiving the 500th A321, the largest member of the family. Air France was also the first major airline to operate all four members of the A320 Family in 2003 and they have served us on our medium haul network and will continue to do so”, said Pierre Vellay, Senior VP New Aircraft and Corporate Fleet Planning Air France.

“We are delighted that Air France continues to renew its medium haul fleet with A321s; the preferred aircraft on medium range high-density routes,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “Airbus invests around 100 million Euros every year to keep the A320 the most eco-efficient single aisle aircraft in the world. Reaching the milestone of 500 deliveries proves the sustainability of these investments and underlines the leading position of the A321 in its market segment in terms of operational efficiency, passenger comfort and environmental friendliness.”

The first A321 was delivered in 1994, as well as the first one to the Air France Group. Today Airbus has sold more than 750 A321s to about 65 customers all around the world.

While passengers are benefiting from a state of the art cabin design, wider seats, wider aisles and bigger overhead stowage, airlines profit from the unique operational flexibility of Airbus single-aisle aircraft.

Only Airbus-single aisle aircraft, like the A321, are able to accommodate containerised cargo thus adding profitability to airline operations. Airlines using the cargo system are minimizing turn around times and are able to easily exchange containers from its single-aisle operations into wide body aircraft operations. This increases efficiency in connecting international air-cargo transport and reducing the risk of damaging goods.

Commonality within the Airbus fly-by-wire product line also contributes to the A320 Family’s economics. The ability to use a single pool of pilots, cabin crew and maintenance personnel for the A318, A319, A320 and A321 saves money and gives airlines maximum flexibility in scheduling and planning.

18th February 2009 – Emirates Airline today unveiled plans to grow the number of flights across its network by 14 per cent in 2009.

This year, the Dubai based carrier will add 18 new passenger aircraft to its fleet, increasing seating capacity by 14 per cent and enabling it to start new routes as well as increase frequencies on many existing routes. It will also expand cargo capacity by 17 per cent.

The additional frequencies will afford passengers a greater choice of flights, more frequent connections with their target markets and shorter, more convenient connection times.

Emirates currently has a fleet of 129 wide-bodied aircraft. By the end of the 2008-09 financial year (ending 31st March 2009), that figure will stand at 132, including four superjumbo Airbus A380s. The carrier will welcome a further seven A380s in fiscal year 2009-10 (ending 31st March 2010), as well as 10 Boeing 777-300ER, one 777-200LR and one Boeing 777 freighter.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “The next year is not going to be an easy ride for the airline industry. Emirates has prepared the best we can for the challenges we foresee, but we also see it as a time of opportunity. 2009, with our significant capacity increase, will be a year of consolidation for us, with fewer new routes launched than in previous years.

“Instead, we will concentrate on strengthening our presence on routes where there is a greater demand from our customers. All of our new capacity will be deployed in markets where we see growth potential, particularly Africa and the Middle East.”

Indeed, Emirates’ fastest growing markets are Africa and the Middle East, recording 17 and six per cent growth respectively in the last 12 months. To this end, Emirates recently added a second daily flight to Lagos.

It will also introduce services from Dubai to Durban, South Africa on 1st October 2009. The route will be served by a two-class, 278-seat Airbus A330-200 which can carry up to 14 tonnes of cargo into the port city.

Last month, Emirates announced a vast Middle East expansion plan taking the number of seats in the region to 50,000 on 180 flights a week. Additional services to Amman, Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait and Damascus were started recently.

Emirates has added 32 weekly flights to its existing Indian services since November. The enhanced capacity means customers now have a choice of 163 weekly flights into 10 gateways in the country.

As new aircraft come online, both Los Angeles and San Francisco – Emirates’ newest routes, launched in October and December – will go from thrice weekly to daily from May. The extra services will add more than 2,000 seats a week between the US west coast and Dubai, which is more than a 100 per cent increase on the current 1,600 seats.

There is increased capacity to Australia with additional daily flights to Brisbane and Melbourne, taking the total number of flights a week to 63 effective from 1st February. Later this year, a third daily service to Sydney will be added. On 1st February, Emirates became the first carrier to operate commercial A380 flights into New Zealand with the launch of its Dubai-Sydney-Auckland service. Operated by a 489-seat Airbus A380 three times a week, it will go daily from 1st May.

Plans are also afoot to deploy superjumbos on Dubai–Seoul and Dubai–Singapore services in November and December respectively.

The first A380 flight between Dubai and Seoul’s Incheon International Airport will depart in November, while the Singapore service will start in December and initially run four times weekly.

In Europe, Emirates has already embarked on an expansion programme. In recent months it has commenced double daily flights into Milan, increased Istanbul services to 11 flights a week, increased services on the Larnaca-Malta route to seven times weekly and Nice flights to five times weekly.

Second daily services into Moscow and Athens are also planned for March.

In total, the additional capacity will see more than 8,635 seats and around 600 tonnes of cargo capacity added to the Emirates fleet.

“Emirates has recorded an annual growth rate of 20 per cent over the last five years,” reported HH Sheikh Ahmed. “In the last two years alone, we have launched 11 new passenger and three cargo-only routes. In 2007, with the launch of its Dubai–Sao Paulo service, we became the first – and only – carrier to fly to six continents non-stop from a single hub.”

Established in October 1985 with flights to Karachi and Mumbai, Emirates Airline today directly serves 101 cities in 61 countries. In October 2008, the Emirates dedicated Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport opened. With a total built-up area of 515,000 sq metres and the capability of handling 43 million passengers annually, the 10-storey concourse was specifically designed with Emirates’ future growth plans in mind.

In 2008, 22 million Emirates passengers passed through Dubai International Airport – an 11 per cent increase on 2007.

For more information, visit http://www.emirates.com/uk

Wow, the Internet has been buzzing about the Lumexis install on US Airways A320 demo plane. We have been getting unsolicited input from our spy network and we thought our readers would like to get up to speed. 

Firstly, the Lumexis fiber optic system has been installed on airplane T/N 680 in Rome, New York. With work beginning on Jan. 5, 2009 it took some 23 days to complete it. All seats have been equipped for a total of 150 stations. A FAA flight test was performed last week. Insiders state that installation supplier, Inflight Canada, exclaimed that Lumexis is the easiest retrofit of this level of system they have ever performed!  One source noted that one of the installers said that with a bit of pre-installation effort on “A” checks, planes like A330’s and A340’s could be retrofitted in 7 days! Think about it, cable placement has been made a lot easier because of the complete disregard for EMI/RFI issues – cable placement and noise are a thing of the past because of the under floor seat boxes and dedicated cable “tubes”.  

We also understand that Inflight Canada designed the iCache system, which uses a patented beam (stringer) grabber that greatly did away with the drilling, rivets and sealing used in normal mechanical installs, and yes, we asked our spies about the fiber optic cable installation in the seats. It seems Smallhorn went to the Canadian Military to get smart on these processes and we hear they got a real education. The military uses a lot of fiber and has developed a skill set with this technology. This probably contributed to the easy seat modification that ensued. The system needed no special ATE or test equipment… they plugged in cables and it worked! About the only note we feel should be made is with respect to weight. While the Lumexis system itself is probably the lightest installed, full capability in-flight entertainment system, the added boxes and tubes of the full installation package no doubt raised the final number. 

The Inflight Canada and Lumexis folks aren’t talking but we think there is another North American customer in the works. As soon as the final DCN’s are submitted and approved, the system will be certified to fly un-placarded and powered up with passengers. We hear the plane is in service today, flying out of Phoenix. Additionally, we understand a full offering is planned for each seat when in service. Specially trained flight attendants will explain and promote the system to passengers. Pax usage data is to be downloaded to the airline’s operations center after landing. The EV-DO, cellular-based Secure Data Bridge facility (cell phone network) that supports the data gathering was tested during the FAA-mandated verification flight. We understand it worked extremely well and may be the new standard of data IFE download (Yes, we know it is not new). 

Here is a great blog for more insider stuff:�
http://www.usaviation.com/forums/index.php?s=05b9be18f7bb021586142309f44e477a&showtopic=44898

We may eat, sleep, and breath In-Flight Entertainment here at IFExpress central, but sometimes our industry problems are simply lost in the events of the times. This is one of those times… at least here in the US. As aviation, and a heckuva lot of other industries, take a nosedive, there are forces at work that promise to build a better world – aviation not withstanding. Recent events in New York may be the poster child of things to come. Seeing all those passengers standing on the wings of an A320 surrounded by first responders looked like the most one could make out of a really bad day flying. Actually, that imagery may be the beginning of some good news, badly needed. An airplane loss good news? More on that later. 

No doubt, the forthcoming economic experiences will be humbling. The effects on all of us will be more taxes, more stress, more headaches, more loss, and if we are lucky, more hope. While we all tighten our belts in expectation of the forthcoming year, it has to be worth the cost if we can see the possibility of a better future, a cleaner environment and a healthier aviation industry… a couple of years down the road (US Economy 2.0). From the airline point of view, recent fuel increases have created leaner airlines. Ones not necessarily in tune with passenger needs, but airlines that can survive lean times. 

From the perspective of US citizens, we know there is going to be more donation of personal time and personal contribution to our neighborhoods, our economy and our environment. This will be true, to one degree or another, in almost all other countries and while crappy slogans like “we feel your pain” are better left for soap operas, one could say it applies here. Moreover, we tried to think of a positive message to send out to our readers like the Chinese proverb used in the Hot Topic title. Euphemistically, it could be considered a curse as well, but as one might expect, no Chinese person has ever been accorded the attribution of the saying. So in that vein, we have to consider that current events, while interesting, might be starting to take a turn for the better! Hey, perhaps the glass is half full?

As we mentioned earlier, note should be made of a recent aviation incident in the US, the US Airways Flight 1549.  We wanted to acknowledge the airplane – the Airbus A320. While the obvious heroes of the stricken flight are unquestionably the captain, crew, and first responders, the durable little plane from Airbus endured a landing on water, deployed chutes and rafts, supported passengers and crew on its floating metal fuselage and wings, while generally acting as an aluminum life raft for some 156 people. This did not go unnoticed by us and we offer a tip-o-the-hat to all the professionals at Airbus and US Airways who build, support, fly, and maintain such a fine product.  

http://www.neatorama.com/2009/01/18/simulated-cockpit-view-of-us-airways-hudson-river-landing