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.

Adient Aerospace will develop, manufacture and sell a portfolio of seating products to airlines and leasing companies

Seattle, WA | January 16, 2018– Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Adient [NYSE:ADNT] today announced the formation of Adient Aerospace, a joint venture that will develop, manufacture and sell a portfolio of seating products to airlines and aircraft leasing companies. The seats will be available for installation on new airplanes and as retrofit configurations for aircraft produced by Boeing and other commercial airplane manufacturers.

The joint venture between Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, and Adient, the global leader in automotive seating, addresses the aviation industry’s needs for more capacity in the seating category, superior quality and reliable on-time performance. Adient Aerospace will benefit from the world-class engineering teams and innovative cultures at both companies, as well as shared expertise in managing complex, global supply chains.

“Seats have been a persistent challenge for our customers, the industry and Boeing, and we are taking action to help address constraints in the market. Adient Aerospace will leverage Boeing’s industry leadership and deep understanding of customer needs and technical requirements, to provide a superior seating product for airlines and passengers around the world,” said Kevin Schemm, senior vice president of Supply Chain Management, Finance & Business Operations and chief financial officer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “This joint venture supports Boeing’s vertical integration strategy to develop in-house capabilities and depth in key areas to offer better products, grow services and generate higher lifecycle value.”

“Adient has a strong set of transferable competencies that will offer a unique opportunity to create value for our company and for Boeing, our shareholders and the broader commercial aircraft market,” said Adient chairman and CEO Bruce McDonald. “To enhance the customer experience for passengers, airlines and commercial airplane manufacturers, we will apply our unmatched expertise for comfort and craftsmanship along with our reputation for operational excellence.”

Adient Aerospace’s operational headquarters, technology center and initial production plant will be located in Kaiserslautern, Germany, near Frankfurt. The joint venture’s initial customer service center will be based in Seattle, Washington. Adient Aerospace aftermarket spare parts distribution will be performed exclusively through Aviall, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing.

Adient is the majority stakeholder in the new company (50.01 percent share) and expects the joint venture to be included in its consolidated financial statements. Boeing (as 49.99 percent partner) will receive a proportionate share of the earnings and cash flow. Both will have representation on Adient Aerospace’s board of directors.

Industry analysts forecast the commercial aircraft seating market to grow from approximately $4.5 billion in 2017 to $6 billion by 2026.

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies:

AIX is a great place to check on the status of new product projects, many taking over a year to design, develop, and certify for flying. When we first discovered the satcom adapter plate and Radome from CarlisleiT/Saint Gobain a few months back we note: “CarliseIT, in partnership with Saint Gobain Performance Plastics, now offers multiple ARINC 791 solutions for Ka-band, Ku-band and Tri-band SATCOM installations. The complete package contains the CarlisleIT ARINC 791 compliant adapter plate, provisions for Outside Airframe Equipment (OAE), and intercostal kits required for both retrofit and line fit installations on transport jet aircraft. Installation fittings on the adapter plate are adjustable to cover the complete range of aircraft frame spacing, while providing discrete interface loads to the fuselage. The aerodynamic skirt follows the fuselage curvature without requiring a large installation doubler, sealants, or additional fasteners through the aircraft skin.” The key here is ARINC 791, as it: “ …fulfills the requirement for a standardized installation, easier maintenance inspections, and overall lower cost of ownership. Conformance to the ARINC 791 standard also helps future-proofs the SATCOM installation, and makes upgrades to next generation antennas and SATCOM system equipment easier and faster with commonality across entire fleets.” At AIX 2016, we talked with Kris Samuelson, Director Sales IFE & SatCom and he told IFExpress: “Since APEX in Portland, we have been finalizing developments for line-fit products like the FlightGear, ARINC 791 Ka/Ku Universal Installation and we are looking at some 300 product sales and future installations. Further, the adapter plate and radome you saw at APEX have passed birdstrike and lightening certification tests. We plan to oversee installation mid-April and witness flight test in July. Their A320 STC will follow in August of this year. This product offers lower cost of ownership, 40% – 50% longer flight time between inspections and it is a simplified upgrade, it saves time and money. We expect the Ku installations in September of this year.” Additionally, Kris also mentioned: “The total system weight (antenna/radome) is 271 pounds,” he said, “and you will hear a lot more about this product as we will be producing an A791 adapter plate for Ku band low format antenna. The essential shape will remain similar however, we have to adjust some dimensions to accommodate that design. All in all,” he said, “There is a lot more than meets the eye with this product and we have our electrical and mechanical designers to thank for it’s flexible adaptability.”

STG Aerospace:

One of the more interesting meetings at an IFE show is always one with the folks at STG Aerospace and especially with Nigel Duncan CEO. Why, you ask? Because Nigel is probably the best salesperson we have ever seen… at the least, he knows his products as well as anyone in his company. But more importantly, he as excited about them and when we visited, we heard and discussed their new passenger oriented liteMoodLED Cabin Lighting product, the latest in photoluminescent floor path marking saf-Tglo blu, and STG liteMood, their new LED strip lighting that replaces fluorescents in planes.

Lets start off with one of the most amazing passenger lights we have ever seen – STG liteMood passenger cabin reading light. As we all know, the light over a passenger seat that can be turned off and on by passengers normally describes conical light beam that illuminates a seat and can be adjusted to adjust the light on your tray table or the book you are reading. The problem is one of filament illumination. First the shape (bulb) is circular and diffuse light travels beyond your use and usually illuminates more than the table. Further, it does that because to get enough light for your use, the conical beam is bigger than needed. This means that your light, and all the others, use more power and illuminate more than one passenger, just to solve the illumination problem. Nigel’s team decided that they could do a better job and did just that – STG made an LED light that delivers a rectangular light beam illuminating only one table top. More importantly, they are using LEDs, which can get near to the color of solar light – better on the eyes and limit brightness. The light itself fits in existing fixtures, uses one LED in a special lamp-sized replacement and works like any other bulb but does a better job, at less power. Don’t believe us, check out the demo box picture (the light itself just replaces ones in the plane) and see for yourself: STG Aerospace gives passengers a defined private space with its new passenger centric LED reading light. Designed initially for the B737NG, we expect to see a lot more planes with this product.

Next, we saw the saf-Tglo product, a blue photoluminescent floor path living strip that delivers a blue shift, different from green strips that abound today. While aesthetic are on value in this product, their brochure notes that, “In addition to optimizing the glow colour, saf-Tglo blu provides a wider, brighter colour palette in ambient due to it’s whiter base colour.” Be sure to see it for yourself!

Finally, Neil Thomas told IFExpress: “Quite frankly, any light in the cabin is one we are looking to improve,”  and thus he gave a perfect introduction to the last new product we saw, the new LED mood lighting system using LED strip lights that replace fluorescent lights and deliver an improved onboard experience. Said Nigel; “STG is trying to do things with lighting that collectively make a big difference.” Importantly, the lighting on an aircraft can affect the mood of passengers and STG realized the need for a ‘more aesthetically pleasing’ light solution and eliminate the sub-visual flickering that fluorescent lights give off. Mr. Duncan noted a Manchester University study that shows it is not the variety of colors that impacts passengers, it is the depth of color and saturation levels – features designed into their lighting solution. The liteMood LED cabin lights are presently installed on B757 and B737NG aircraft and have been flying for 16 months now. Since some 96 percent of flying aircraft today utilize fluorescent lighting the market looks quite healthy but because the STG provides a strip kit, the airlines can do the modification themselves.

Inmarsat:

The company has outlined its long-term aviation broadband roadmap to ensure that rising demand for fast, reliable and global passenger in-flight connectivity is met for the next five years and beyond. The launch of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) Aviation solution this year (Dec. 2016) creates the world’s first high-speed passenger in-flight connectivity solution with seamless, end-to-end global coverage, delivered through a single operator. Initial airline customers include Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Jazeera Airways. In all, they are running some 26 STC programs in parallel!

Inmarsat noted: “The GX network, which entered commercial service in December 2015 and currently includes three powerful Ka-band satellites, will provide the international bandwidth capacity needed to meet existing and near-term demand from airlines. As part of the aviation broadband roadmap, it also provides a global coverage underlay that will be built upon to meet future demand.” We note that GX is Ka Band and it employs spot beams. From their Newsroom: “The companies will manufacture 0.6 to 2.4 metre aperture terminals to deliver up to 50Mbps downlink speeds.” We also note that this should replicate data rates like ground based mobile applications. Also, keep your eye on future GX applications that support the new, flat Kymeta antenna!

Inmarsat has already committed to a fourth GX satellite, which is completing construction and testing by Boeing and will provide additional network capacity. It has also awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract to build the first two satellites for its sixth-generation fleet, the first of which is scheduled for delivery by 2020. Uniquely for Inmarsat, the new fleet will feature a dual-payload, with each satellite supporting both Ka-band and L-band services. Based on current services and demand, the Ka-band co-payload will augment the capacity of the GX network over busy air routes and regions, while the L-band capacity supports a new generation of aviation safety services. Launch customer, Lufthansa, will install and go into service 3Q 2016 on an A320.

Another vital component in the roadmap is Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network (EAN), which will be the first aviation passenger connectivity solution across European airspace to integrate an advanced satellite network and LTE-based ground network; the latter will be operated by Deutsche Telekom. Aircraft will switch automatically between satellite and terrestrial connectivity using an onboard network communicator for optimal service delivery.

Also, Inmarsat, has signed a Heads of Terms (HoT) agreement with Beijing Marine Communication & Navigation Company Ltd. (MCN), which will lead to the creation of a joint venture (JV) to provide aircraft cabin and cockpit connectivity solutions in China’s fast-growing commercial aviation market. The Inmarsat services that would be provided through the JV include Global Xpress (GX) Aviation and SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S).  The final agreement is expected to be signed later this year.

Inmarsat noted also: “GX Aviation will launch this year as the world’s first broadband in-flight connectivity solution with seamless, end-to-end global coverage. Passengers will be able to browse the internet, use social media, stream online videos, download files and more using their smartphones, tablets and other Wi-Fi enabled devices, with a similar quality of service in the air as they would receive on the ground.”

Note: SB-S is a next generation cyber secure flight deck communication platform, enabling airlines to meet the ICAO mandate for sub-15 minute tracking of all aircraft, Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC)’s four-minute mandate, Automatic Dependent Surveillance and electronic flight bag updates. Combining L-band satellite connectivity with advanced avionics, it delivers speeds 10 times faster than existing Classic Aero services to provide airlines with cockpit communications for the digital age.


OTHER NEWS

IFP/GEE:

Editor’s Note: There has been a lawsuit underway between content service provider, IFP (parent company Global Eagle) and Universal regarding licensing since 2013. The issue will go to damages trial on May 10, 2016. Below are a series of exerts from various publications that outline the history suit:

“The defendant in the lawsuit is IFP and parent company Global Eagle, a worldwide provider of in-flight entertainment from movies to songs. IFP scored a lucrative contract loading American Airlines (and later US Airways) with music playlists obtained via physical CDs and digital downloads, and in 2008 upon concern that it had licensing issues, approached the major labels for a deal.” Hollywood Reporter 4/22/16

At issue is the discrepancy between what artists get paid for a ‘license’ of their song versus a ‘sale’ of their song. Under contracts that were written before iTunes and other song download services, artists were paid 15% per sale but 50% per license. However, many ‘legacy’ artists argued that digital downloads were licenses, not sales, and they should be paid the higher royalty rate.” Plagiarism Today March 20, 2015

“Inflight operates the entertainment consoles for various airlines, including American Airlines, which was added to the lawsuit previously. Universal alleges that Inflight did not have proper licenses to play Universal Music, especially on international flights where there may not be a single licensing body to authorize the use of music.
However, Inflight has responded saying that they had an agreement with Universal that began in 2009. Though the agreement was never finalized, Universal repeatedly assured Inflight that they were not infringing until, in 2013, Universal hit them with a surprise cease and desist letter.” Plagiarism Today March 20, 2015

“Then in November 2013 the label suddenly sent them a cease-and-desist letter, which they claim has interfered with their contractual relationships with airlines.
They speculate Universal changed its tune in response to changes in the music industry. They claim the label followed the example of Sony’s suit in 2013 against Inflight and United Airlines specifically over Irish licenses (the case eventually settled). Then they claim Universal wants money in settlements “in the wake of a substantial decline in the music business” and want to establish its own business to provide music to airlines.”Hollywood Reporter 3/19/15

“In a tentative summary judgment ruling that was adopted on Wednesday, however, U.S. District Judge George Wu writes, “At best, there is evidence that the parties discussed various terms, but never reached any final agreements,” and further, “There is ample evidence that IFP knew it had no licenses from Plaintiffs and that it could be sued for copyright infringement, and no evidence that Plaintiffs ever indicated to IFP that any such licenses were forthcoming or misrepresented any existing fact.” Hollywood Reporter 4/22/16

“Here’s the adopted tentative as well as the Wednesday ruling that also rejects a statute of limitations defense. The case is now set for a damages trial on May 10 with more than 4,500 copyrights involved. The plaintiffs are led by Jeffrey D. Goldman at Jeffer Mangels while the defendants are being handled by Marty Katz at Shappard Mullin.” Hollywood Reporter 4/22/16

“Universal Music and its co-plaintiffs are seeking maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each work that Inflight infringed, or an award of profits and compensatory damages. They also seek restitution of Inflight’s profits, punitive and exemplary damages, and an injunction.” Courthouse News – 6/23/15

You do the math!


EVEN MORE NEWS

  • Last week’s BUZZ picture was incorrect… please note we pictured Ms. Agnieszka Jacquemot with Sara Pepic’s quote? Thank you, Alexander Preston, as you win the IFExpress prize – your name in print!
  • Also, Web Barth can be reached as follows: webbarth@vts.global  – Sorry Web, didn’t know there was a ‘.global’ on the web.
  • And lastly, On July 15, 2016, Boeing will celebrate its’ 100th birthday.
  • Pioneering use of advanced UV light sanitizes all lavatory surfaces
  • Touchless features increase hygiene

Everett, WA | March 3, 2016– Boeing [NYSE: BA] engineers and designers have developed a self-cleaning lavatory prototype that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to kill 99.99 percent of germs. The cleaning system can disinfect all surfaces after every use in just three seconds. Boeing believes this self-cleaning technology, combined with touchless features, will enhance the passenger experience on commercial flights. Click here to download b-roll of the lavatory.

The lavatory uses Far UV light that would be activated only when the lavatory is unoccupied. Far UV is different from the UVA or UVB light in tanning beds, and is not harmful to people. Boeing engineers have shown through testing on their prototype that this innovation can minimize the growth and potential transmission of micro-organisms. Boeing has filed for a patent on this concept.

“We’re trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight,” said Jeanne Yu, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Director of Environmental Performance. “In the prototype, we position the lights throughout the lavatory so that it floods the touch surfaces like the toilet seat, sink and countertops with the UV light once a person exits the lavatory. This sanitizing even helps eliminate odors.”

The cleaning system, which will require further study before it can be offered to airlines, would lift and close the toilet seat by itself so that all surfaces are exposed during the cleaning cycle. The design also incorporates a hands-free faucet, soap dispenser, trash flap, toilet lid and seat and a hand dryer. A hands-free door latch and a vacuum vent system for the floor are also under study, all to keep the lavatory as hygienic as possible between scheduled cleaning.

“Some of the touchless features are already in use on some Boeing airplanes today,” said Yu. “But combining that with the new UV sanitizing will give passengers even more protection from germs and make for an even better flying experience.”

Boeing’s Clean Lavatory is a finalist for a Crystal Cabin Award that will be announced at the Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo on April 5.

United Kingdome | September 14, 2015– With just two months to go, over 75 exhibiting companies are making their preparations to participate at Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas 2015 in Seattle from November 4-5, the largest dedicated aircraft interiors event in the Americas region, organised by Reed Exhibitions. Showcasing a broad spectrum of the cabin interiors market, such as aircraft interior design, cabin engineering and seating systems, the exhibitor list features Acro Aircraft Seating, BASF, ITT Enidine, Lufthansa Technik, PPG Aerospace, Sabic, Supracor and Victrex. Over 14 exhibitors will be making their debuts to include Aim Aerospace, Inc., Decorative Products, Flightweight, Shanghai Easun Group and Siasa Air.

According to a recent report from Technavio (www.technavio.com) entitled “Global Commercial Aircraft Cabin Interiors Market: Forecast Until 2019,” one of the significant regions for cabin interiors is the Americas and the overall market is rising as a result of increasing air passenger traffic. It has become imperative for airlines to improve passenger experience in terms of luxury and interiors. By investing in interiors, aircraft carriers look to attract customers and improve their market share.

The market therefore presents an attractive opportunity for aircraft cabin interior vendors to introduce improved seating design, upholstery, materials, colours, and other similar additions. The main findings of this Technavio report predict the market to reach a Compound Annual Growth Rate of more than 10 percent from 2015 to 2019.

This is reflected by the multitude of international airlines already registered to attend, including EgyptAir, Delta Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and American Airlines.

Making its debut, award-winning aviation galley cart manufacturer, Flightweight, will be showcasing its innovative range of secure, lightweight trolleys at this year’s Seattle event. SmartCart, which will be displayed onthestand, recently won an Onboard Hospitality Award for food service equipment hardware and is the first and only product of its class to achieve EASA approval.

Designed to provide an alternative to heavy, badly-designed trolleys, SmartCart is 5kgs lighter than traditional carts – offering potentially significant fuel cost savings to commercial airlines. The trolley also uses a patented locking system and intelligent tracking technology to provide improved traceability and security right across the inflight catering supply chain.

Commenting on the company’s presence at the exhibition, Flightweight Chairman, Malcolm Mathieson, said: “Aviation is an industry that relies on strong partnerships and collaborative working to deliver innovations which improve performance and overcome challenges. We’re therefore looking forward to demonstrating SmartCart at Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas, where attendees will be able to learn more about the benefits and features of our innovative trolley system in person.”

Following its debut at the 2104 edition, Acro Aircraft Seating, one of the fastest growing aircraft seating companies in the world, will again be exhibiting at Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas 2015. Based in the UK, Acro produces economy class seats with a focus on passenger comfort, robustness, ease of maintenance and light weight. Thanks to its fast growth, Acro Aircraft Seating has been honoured in this year’s Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

Among the products which will be displayed in Seattle, there will be a prototype of Acro’s new Economy Class seat “Series 6.” The new Economy seat is as much an expression of simplicity as Acro’s current award-winning product lines. It is a completely redesigned fixed back new generation Economy Class seat. The key innovation is to do away with the standard aluminium tube frame and to replace it with a fully composite construction. This leads to increased passenger comfort, lighter weight and greater durability. Inspired by the best of 20th century furniture design, the Series 6 has been designed together with Factory Design, a London product design consultancy.

“With Acro seats now bringing greater comfort to the passengers of four well known US airlines, it’s a very exciting time for us,” said Cameron Allan, Executive Vice President for Acro Aircraft Seating.

In addition to a range of companies from around the world displaying the latest and innovative aircraft interiors products and services, there will also be an interactive forum for cabin development in the Americas market in the form of a two-day Seminar Program. This will incorporate a mix of keynote sessions, debates and case study sessions, providing a face to face arena for the exchange of information for aircraft interiors and travel catering industries.

The agenda will focus on some of the critical issues and innovations for evolving cabin ambience and real estate, with the emphasis on sharing insights and experiences relating to the product developments, methodologies and materials to accomplish the best on board interior solutions.

The opening session on 5 November is entitled “Next Generation Cabin Systems – Connecting and Controlling all Things Electric in the Cabin” to be presented by Dave Kingstone, Head of Business Development Americas, Intellicabin at BAE Systems.

“Next generation cabin systems are all about the integration, connection, and control of “all things electric” in the cabin – they will improve crew communication and interaction with one another, but most importantly how they can improve and enhance the customer experience, stated Mr Kingstone.”

Some of the topics to be addressed in this session will include how cabin system technology can provide the services passengers expect and provide revenue streams for airlines and the use of smart technology to allow crew to easily manage systems and power usage in the cabin and galley during flight.

“With Technavio’s report confirming the trend of increasing air traffic, particularly in the Americas region, Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas 2015 will provide the ideal platform for exhibitors and visitors to network and discuss the latest issues within the aircraft interiors industry. We look forward to welcoming all our exhibiting companies and visitors from around the world to what will be a busy but important event in Seattle,” saidKatie Murphy,Senior Event Director of Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas.

Singapore | April 4, 2014– ST Aerospace will showcase its suite of integrated cabin solutions at the Aircraft Interior Expo 2014 from 8 to 10 April, in Hamburg Messe, Germany (Hall 7, Booth 29). Highlights include two new products which were both designed and developed by its team of engineers: ERGO – an expanded range of lightweight economy class seats and airSurf – a wireless in-flight entertainment solution.

Integrated cabin interior solutions

A full-scale turnkey provider of total aviation support, ST Aerospace leverages its global airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) network as well as its strong in-house engineering design capability, to offer a comprehensive range of services for the cabin interior sector. Working closely with its US affiliates DRB Aviation Consultants, Volant Aerospace and European associate Elbe Flugzeugwerke, ST Aerospace has been able to enhance its portfolio of integrated cabin reconfiguration solutions to include engineering design and certification as well as the manufacturing of aircraft interior parts.

In March 2014, ST Aerospace redelivered the first two Boeing 767-300 aircraft to Air Canada rouge after the completion of its first full turnkey integrated cabin reconfiguration programme. This includes engineering design, modification kit manufacturing, aircraft modification, certification as well as overall programme management. The redelivery of the first two prototype aircraft also saw the issuance of Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation. In addition, ST Aerospace also redelivered the first of two 767-300 aircraft for Air Do after a cabin interior upgrade along with the STCs from the US FAA and Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.

ERGO – lightweight, comfortable, modern and sleek aircraft seats

Designed with comfort in mind, Ergo features a comprehensive range of economy class seats with patented designs. This comprises Ergo Basic (for short haul flights), Ergo Standard (for medium to long range flights) and Ergo Plus (for long haul flights). These are among the lightest seats in its class, which have passed the 16G test and will undergo Technical Standard Order C127a certification by the end of 2014.

Ergo’s unique features include:
* High literature compartment and slim amenity pocket to maximise personal space
* Articulating seat pan for passenger comfort
* Ergomically designed cushion and headrest for neck and head support

Jointly developed with Japanese aircraft seat manufacturing company Tenryu Aero Component Co. Ltd, the name ‘Ergo’ is inspired by the term ‘ergonomics’ – the applied science of equipment specially designed for the user, with the intention of optimising comfort and reducing fatigue.

airSurf – entertain, inform, enable, connect

ST Aerospace’s other new product – airSurf – is a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment (IFE) system which is a fully integrated and highly adaptable platform that can be tailor-made for all aircraft types. Potential customers will include airlines which are currently not equipped with wireless IFE, or operators already equipped with embedded systems in search of a weight-reduction solution or a cost-efficient upgrade.

Through an avionics server onboard the aircraft, airSurf enables content to be distributed across the cabin via different access points, allowing passengers to surf wirelessly with their personal electronic devices onboard the aircraft. The varied selection available ranges from music, e-publications, games, destination guides, in-flight menus to online meal-ordering and shopping portals.

As a world class provider for integrated aviation solutions, ST Aerospace’s winning edge lies in it being a one-stop service centre capable of providing MRO as well as full turnkey cabin interior solutions, comprising the integration of cabin products, seating and wireless IFE solutions as well as the replacement of monuments.