• Marks first of its kind ‘take-off-to-touchdown’ information management solution

Farnborough, UK | July 16, 2014– Rockwell Collins today announced it has reached a major milestone in implementing a complete take-off-to-touchdown advanced information management solution as Cathay Pacific begins operational evaluation of the company’s eEnabled Aircraft Solution on three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

“The solution we’re implementing for Cathay Pacific represents a broader trend in our industry as airlines look to fully harness the capabilities and applications that high-speed air-to-ground connectivity can provide,” said Jeff Standerski, senior vice president, Information Management Services for Rockwell Collins. “We commend Cathay Pacific for pioneering this effort, as it becomes the first airline in Asia to begin the implementation of an almost fleet-wide eEnabled solution, the most advanced of its kind.”

Working in collaboration with Cathay Pacific, Rockwell Collins is designing and supporting the implementation of a common aircraft network across Cathay Pacific’s fleet of B777, B747-400F, B747-8, and Airbus A330 aircraft as well as Dragonair’s A330 and A320/1 aircraft. The network will serve as a full-time global air-to-ground data communication and information management service, supporting both current and future high-speed connectivity. Rockwell Collins, with Cathay Pacific, has the only eEnabled fully integrated and regulation-compliant aircraft solution flying today.

Rockwell Collins’ ARINC eEnabled Aircraft Solution allows for secure information management of flight operations, data communication services, cabin services, maintenance, diagnostics and vital safety information throughout flight, enhancing operational efficiencies and reducing costs. It improves accuracy of fueling requirements, provides potential for increased payload, and allows for automatic upgrades of installed and portable electronic flight bags.

“Rockwell Collins’ ARINC eEnabled Aircraft Solution enables us to create a highly functional, seamless communications platform, allowing us to improve the speed, accuracy, deployment and presentation of information between the aircraft and ground infrastructure,” said Cathay Pacific’s Mark Hoey, General Manager Operations. “The ability to connect airborne systems to ground-based information technology systems in real time will result in improved operational efficiency and increased maintenance effectiveness, as well as provide a number of exciting service enhancements.”

AIX, Hamburg | April 9, 2014– TAAG Angola Airlines has become OnAir’s first Sub-Saharan African customer – line fitting its new B777-300ER fleet with Internet OnAir and Mobile OnAir. The airline will use Thales’ TopConnect to access OnAir’s inflight Wi-Fi and mobile phone services on its new fleet, to be delivered from May 2014.

OnAir offers a consistent, reliable service across Africa and all the routes the airline flies, thanks to the widest-reaching network of regulatory approvals and the largest and most geographically diverse number of roaming agreements of any provider.

With authorizations from over 100 countries and more than 375 roaming agreements, OnAir provides consistent coverage on all the major routes across the world. In addition, OnAir uses Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband satellite network, the only network to provide worldwide coverage.

“TAAG is an ambitious airline, leading the modernization of air transport in Angola,” said Captain Lourenço Manuel Gomes Neto, Executive Vice President Operations, TAAG Angola Airlines. “OnAir connectivity, in the form of inflight Wi-Fi and GSM, gives our passengers the freedom to stay in touch with the world outside the aircraft, strongly enhancing their experience. The worldwide service reliability is particularly important, given the routes we fly across from and across Africa.”

Passengers flying on TAAG Angola’s B777-300ER will experience the full benefits of OnAir connectivity. The inflight Wi-Fi solution, Internet OnAir, enables passengers to email, update their social media, and browse news sites. Like a Wi-Fi hotspot on the ground, passengers only need to log on and their enter credit card details before they are free to surf the Internet.

Passengers can also use OnAir’s inflight GSM product, Mobile OnAir, to email, text, talk, and use their mobile apps as they please. Charges are included in the user’s monthly phone bill, exactly like using international roaming.

“This new deal with TAAG Angola Airlines shows that cabin connectivity is now a truly global market,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “We are in the strongest position to make inflight connectivity a truly worldwide phenomenon, given the breadth and depth of our regulatory and roaming agreement networks. On top of SwiftBroadband’s consistency across the world, this means we can offer an uncompromised service to all airlines, wherever they might be.”

Thales had a milestone event today in the first delivery announcement of the latest Thales TopSeries AVANT in-flight entertainment and connectivity IFEC system. As launch customer for the newest system, China Southern selected “the world’s most advanced Thales passenger system”. Why is it important? In case you have been asleep for that last few months you have not seen the aircraft manufacturers predictions that half the worlds traffic growth will occur in the Asia-Pacific region. Indeed, the market for aircraft (and thus IFEC systems) looks to be a whopping 13,000 aircraft to the tune of almost $2 T… that’s Trillion!

At a ceremony held today at the Boeing facility in Seattle, China Southern took delivery of the first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft equipped with the new generation Thales TopSeries AVANT in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) system, making China Southern the launch customer for the world’s most advanced Thales passenger system.

China Southern is the largest airline in Asia by fleet size and the fifth largest airline in the world by number of passengers. Thales already equips the airline’s Airbus A330 aircraft with its IFEC systems and will now install the award winning AVANT system on all 10 Boeing 777- 300ER scheduled to enter into service for the airline between 2014 and 2016. The first of these aircraft will fly from Seattle back to the airline’s main hub in Guangzhou, Baiyun International airport where it is scheduled to enter into regular service on March 2nd, between Guangzhou and Shanghai Hongqiao. It is believed that China Southern will use the Boeing 777-300ER to fly direct between Guangzhou and New York.

The fourth-generation TopSeries AVANT system is ideal for all commercial aircraft types. Its unique design eliminates the electronics box under cabin seats, thereby improving passenger comfort and enhancing weight efficiency. China Southern will benefit from the system’s scalable design which will allow the airline to offer significant differentiation between classes, such as single touchscreen in economy and interactive multi-screen in business. The AVANT system is also based on the Android operating system, which accommodates a wide range of both off-the-shelf and airline-specific applications.

Full Press Release

Signing Presentation Brochure

Why the latest press release from Panasonic release is worth reading: The following excerpts from today’s announcement from Panasonic, to the best of our knowledge, is the first mention of tying in airline operations, aircraft health conditioning, crew ops, EFB, maintenance operations, airplane conditions, and weather in one package…not to mention one terrific information/entertainment service package. Although these functions and their bundling have been discussed for years, this is the “Big Apple” of connectivity and delivers the payoff of a problem noted in the early nineties by the President of Douglas Aircraft when he stated that only node in the airline network not automated was the airplane itself!

Singapore Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) to explore opportunities to leverage Panasonic’s Global Communications Services to change the way it conducts business.

With the signing of the MOU, the two companies will look to use Panasonic’s Global Communications Services to streamline operations across key areas including:

• Tie broadband-equipped aircraft into the airline operations network to improve aircraft location monitoring and view aircraft speed, altitude and other performance parameters in real time
• Deliver real-time aircraft health monitoring, engine data transmission, critical systems monitoring, and detection and communication of issues prior to arrival
• Increase cabin crew and flight deck efficiency with live customer relations management, electronic flight bag, operations and maintenance air to ground communications, and real-time information about icing, turbulence and other critical weather updates
• Enhance the passenger experience with greater levels of personalization, more robust infotainment.
• Paul Margis, President and Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics Corporation said, “Connectivity has the potential to change the airline industry in the same way the internet changed the way business is done everywhere on the ground.  We salute Singapore Airlines for recognizing the enormous value a truly connected aircraft can bring to their operations.”
• Panasonic and Singapore Airlines also announced a long term Power By The Hour Maintenance Contract covering the maintenance, repair and support of Panasonic IFE equipment through 2024.  The Singapore based Panasonic and SIAEC Joint Venture, Panasonic Avionics Corporation Services Singapore (PACSS) will play a central role in the execution of this agreement.    The contract further enhances ties between the two industry leaders.

Paul Margis, President and Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics Corporation said, “Connectivity has the potential to change the airline industry in the same way the internet changed the way business is done everywhere on the ground.  We salute Singapore Airlines for recognizing the enormous value a truly connected aircraft can bring to their operations.”

Panasonic and Singapore Airlines also announced a long term Power By The Hour Maintenance Contract covering the maintenance, repair and support of Panasonic IFE equipment through 2024.  The Singapore based Panasonic and SIAEC Joint Venture, Panasonic Avionics Corporation Services Singapore (PACSS) will play a central role in the execution of this agreement.    The contract further enhances ties between the two industry leaders.

 

• Lufthansa will have the largest connected B747-8 fleet in the world

London, UK | February 6, 2014– Today, Boeing will deliver the first B747-8 to be fully line-fitted with the AeroMobile inflight mobile service. The aircraft took its delivery flight from Seattle to Frankfurt on 6 February 2014.

Europe’s largest airline, Lufthansa, will receive the landmark delivery, which will open the path for all future B747-8s to be fitted with AeroMobile connectivity. The German flag-carrier has confirmed it will roll out mobile connectivity across its entire long-haul fleet of over 100 aircraft this year.

A registered mobile service provider for the aviation industry, AeroMobile provides the mobile network for airline passengers to roam on inflight. AeroMobile has roaming agreements with more than 240 mobile phone operators worldwide, including German networks T-Mobile, Vodafone, e-Plus and O2 Germany, as well as AT&T and T-Mobile in the USA and EE, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK.

Lufthansa has 19 B747-8s set to enter their fleet. Nine of these aircraft have already been delivered and will be retro-fitted this year. The additional deliveries will leave the Boeing facility in Seattle fully line-fit with AeroMobile connectivity. Once all of the aircraft have been delivered, Lufthansa will have the largest B747-8 fleet in the world, all with full mobile connectivity.

The aircraft, which accommodates 362 passengers and is the world’s longest passenger airliner, will be routed to destinations such as Washington, Mexico City, Hong Kong Delhi and Bangalore. As well as AeroMobile connectivity, the B747-8 will be delivered with the full Fly-Net offering of Wi-Fi and Live TV and Mobile.

Two aircraft types have now been cleared for AeroMobile line-fit at Boeing; the B777-300ER, with recipients including Thai Airways,Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines, and the B747-8. AeroMobile also operates on B747-400 and B737 aircraft.

“It’s great news that Boeing will be rolling out AeroMobile connectivity on their B747-8 fleet and Lufthansa clearly recognises the value of offering this service alongside Wi-Fi and inflight entertainment. In fact, our research show that inflight mobile connectivity actually complements inflight Wi-fi and results in increased passenger satisfaction and additional revenue for airlines,” said Kevin Rogers, CEO of AeroMobile.

“Consumers expect to be connected 24/7 and being up in the air is no longer an exception. In 2013 we saw close to an 80 per cent increase in the number of passengers using their mobile phones in the aircraft cabin, data usage increased ten-fold and SMS traffic increased by 50 per cent.”