As you probably know, the Paris Air Show begins next week and there will be a few IFEC folks in the crowd. We have heard from Latitude Aero, Astronics, Thales, and Panasonic just to name a few. We shall see what IFEC news comes about but we thought that there are a number of other issues that deserve watching, and because it is an air show, we will start with a few notes on what to watch from Boeing and Airbus:

• We anticipate Boeing will launch the Boeing 737-10 MAX at the show. While not the anticipated MoM plane, it carries up to 232 passengers and has a max range of 3,800 nautical miles (N M). We also expect to see the Boeing 737-9 (now under flight tests) there for viewing.
• The big question is: Will Boeing Launch the New Middle Airplane, the Boeing 797 – and we think the answer is yes. Between the Boeing 737 MAX and the Boeing 787, the range and passenger requirements for the new middle aircraft market is coming alive in the near future and this plane will carry some 220 to 270 passengers and cover 4,800 – 5,000 nautical miles.
• You should expect to see the Boeing 787-10 at this year’s show as it was introduced in the 2013 Paris Air Show. With 330 passengers in a two-class configuration, the aircraft will fly some 6,300 N M. And, yes, it is a twin-aisle aircraft.
• While not announced as a product yet, expect to see more on the Airbus 350-2000. This aircraft is a potential competitor to the Boeing 777-9X. While Airbus has questioned the market for a bigger (400+ seat market), IFExpress doesn’t expect to see much more than a stretch with range reduction of the -1000.
• The Airbus A330neo will probably not be at the Paris Airshow as the first flight has been moved to late summer.
• The Airbus A320neo should be there and while it has been in service for some 18 months now, it does have some Pratt & Whitney engine issues. This airplane has 3,616 orders so we expect it to be front-and-center.
• The A380 should make a showing, and while orders have slowed, the production line is only some 12 planes per year with a backlog of 107 aircraft.
• While not expected in “person”, we anticipate plenty of information on the Chinese COMAC C919, which just had a first flight last month. It serves 158 passengers 4075 km in standard configuration and 5,555 in the extended version.
• The Russian MC-21, which had its first flight this past month, probably will not be at Paris because of the huge testing requirements ahead, but you never know! (Editor’s Note: This would be a good place to note that COMAC (China) and UAC (Russia) have formed a joint venture to develop a new MoM aircraft (Shanghai assembly) for delivery in 2027 – 280 seats / 7,500 nm).

The aviation industry has other new developments that you may see at the show as well. New products/services based on market evolution and technological changes may bring some surprising technology to Paris. While aircraft order levels are down; production levels are up (1490 per year – 2017 est.), as order backlog hits some 14,000+ planes. But today’s flat market order changes will have some unknown impact. Further, with the “book-to-build-ratio” now below 1.0 (problem) and airlines are flying over 80% full (beneficial), who knows what will happen.

The aircraft market is expected to double in 15 years so manufacturing impact will be the other thing to watch at the air show – especially robotic production. Further, a lot of data (or Big Data) and related data changes will affect the airplane markets thus suppliers of data solutions, data services, data related hardware and big data experts will be there.

As digital transformations affect airlines and plane makers alike, a need to innovate for new aircraft and to improve performance may be a big deal – as we said, data applications will start to grow and thus data players are bound to be in Paris as well. For example, applications of “the cloud” and the challenge of securing them will no doubt bring a whole new set of aviation specialists, which will undoubtedly include Cybersecurity specialists as well. We expect to also see 3D printing and robotic manufacturing folks as the technology begins to invade the airplane (and airline) markets. With “big data” changes coming and with improved connectivity available, airplane maintenance and flight performance analysis will be a focal point, no doubt, and the solutions for using it will be there as well. Finally, Boeing, and possibly Airbus, (and independents) will be there for service analysis  (with aftermarket revenues) and especially since parts and humans increase costs. It ought to be a good and technology diversified show!

(Editor’s Note:”In fact, following the seven big mega trends will probably give you as good idea of what will be new at the show –  Remember CAMBRIC, which stands for Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Mobility, Big Data, Robotics, Internet of Things, Cybersecurity.” )

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More News:

For a few years now, Boeing and Airbus like to duke it out over “rulings” and “subsidies”, as well as, some recent WTO announcements led to their two PR releases:

First from Airbus:
“ WTO condemns Boeing’s non-compliance and new subsidies
• WTO: U.S. failed to comply with rulings on massive illegal subsidies provided to Boeing
• Today’s WTO compliance panel report finds Boeing subsidies causing Airbus to lose hundreds of aircraft sales with an estimated value of US$ 15-20 billion
• Illegal subsidies to Boeing have, over time, resulted in over US$100 billion in total lost sales for Airbus
• Harm to Airbus will only increase if dispute is pushed out further, in case of likely U.S. appeal”

Next, from Boeing:
“Today, the EU and Airbus suffered yet another resounding defeat in this decade-long dispute. It is finally time for them to comply with their global trade obligations and eliminate and remedy the $22 billion of launch aid and other illegal subsidies that are harming U.S. aerospace companies and American workers,” said Boeing General Counsel J. Michael Luttig.”

You be the judge.

Seattle, WA | July 18, 2016– Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Microsoft [NASDQ: MSFT] today announced an agreement to build a cloud-based platform for Boeing’s industry-leading portfolio of commercial aviation analytics tools.

The two companies intend to work together to transition many of Boeing’s commercial aviation applications into the Microsoft Azure cloud.

Boeing – and its subsidiaries AerData and Jeppesen – offer a wide portfolio of advanced analytics tools currently used by more than 300 airlines to optimize operating efficiency.

“Boeing’s expertise and extensive aviation data resources coupled with Microsoft’s cloud technology will accelerate innovation in areas such as predictive maintenance and flight optimization, allowing airlines to drive down costs and improve operational efficiency,” said Kevin Crowley, Boeing vice president of Digital Aviation. “Together, two companies that changed their industries are teaming up to accelerate the digital transformation of aviation through the use of analytics-based applications, cloud technologies and large-scale integration.”

Boeing’s applications provide airlines, airplane leasing companies and maintenance suppliers with real-time information to enhance every phase of their operations – including purchasing and leasing airplanes and engines, training and scheduling crews, route planning, managing inventory and maintaining fleets.

“At Microsoft, we are focused on empowering organizations across industries to advance their digital transformation,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president, Worldwide Commercial Business, Microsoft. “Working with Boeing, we can help businesses across aviation to become more adaptive, innovative and intelligence-driven, including airlines, operators, suppliers, support, and service providers.”

Every day, customers use Boeing applications to reduce crew scheduling costs as much as 7 percent, and save hundreds of pounds of fuel on every flight. Boeing applications deliver digital navigational information to nearly 13,000 aircraft daily. Advanced airplane health solutions – currently used on more than 3,800 airplanes operating around the globe – allow customers to use real-time data to optimize operational performance, fuel use, maintenance, and supply chain performance.

• Next generation safety solution will be offered to airlines on popular A320 and A330 families
• Landmark agreement positions SwiftBroadband-Safety as a Light Cockpit Satcom solution on single-aisle aircraft and reinforces Inmarsat’s leadership in cockpit safety communications
• Opens up provisioning of Inmarsat’s digital aviation safety applications, including continual positional awareness for flight tracking and the ‘Black Box in the Cloud’

United Kingdom | June 30, 2016– Inmarsat, the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, announced today that its SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) service has been selected by Airbus as a cockpit communications solution for the A320 and A330 aircraft families.

In a landmark agreement, SB-S will feature in the popular Airbus A320 single-aisle and A330 wide-body families. The advanced IP-based broadband communications platform will be available with equipment from Cobham’s AVIATOR S series, as selected by Airbus, to deliver next generation services for the global aviation industry.

SB-S will mark a paradigm shift in aviation safety and efficiency. Using Inmarsat’s global L-band satellite network, it delivers much faster data and voice communications due to its unprecedented speed and capacity, which are several orders of magnitude greater than cockpit communications systems in the market today.

These advanced capabilities will transform the quality and security of cockpit communication and information shared between pilots, air traffic controllers and airlines, with Inmarsat’s satellite technology also ensuring consistent, high-speed global coverage for SB-S.

Airlines around the world will also benefit from a myriad of new digital applications never before available, including continual positional awareness for flight tracking, flight data streaming (also known as ‘Black Box in the Cloud’), and electronic flight bag applications for pilots, such as graphical weather for improved situational awareness.

The selection of SB-S by Airbus reinforces Inmarsat’s status as the world’s leading provider of satellite safety services, serving around 95% of the world’s long-haul aircraft.

The inclusion of the A320 family will also position SB-S as an advanced Light Cockpit Satcom solution on single-aisle Airbus aircraft, marking an exciting new era for the aviation industry. The selection was possible as SB-S is delivered via advanced airborne equipment that addresses factors which have traditionally impacted demand in the single-aisle market, such as size, weight and cost. Around eight out of ten commercial aircraft in the world are single-aisle.

Captain Mary McMillan, Inmarsat Aviation’s Vice President, Safety and Operational Services, said: “We are delighted that Airbus has selected SwiftBroadband-Safety for its A320 and A330 aircraft families. This is testament to SwiftBroadband-Safety’s ability to deliver an always on, always secure cockpit solution for the digital age, with expanded connectivity and reliability.

“Inmarsat has been delivering critical safety information to the world’s airlines, private jet operators and government agencies for over two-and-a-half decades. In the past, these services were almost exclusively utilised by airlines travelling in areas not served by traditional radar, such as routes over the ocean or remote locations. However, with growing aircraft congestion and the need for increased data security, Inmarsat is engineering a new generation of satellite communication services to provide a wider range of benefits.

“SwiftBroadband-Safety will introduce unprecedented new capabilities, allowing airlines to significantly improve flight safety operations and provide a more efficient service to passengers. Airlines also benefit from continuous monitoring of aircraft performance and fuel usage.”

Inmarsat’s partner Cobham SATCOM has been selected by Airbus to provide the equipment that delivers SB-S service onboard the A320 and A330 aircraft families. The equipment, known as the AVIATOR 200S and 700S, will provide a seamless connection between the aircraft cockpit and Inmarsat’s extensive global satellite network. Under Cobham’s contract with Airbus, the equipment will be fitted onto the aircraft from 2018.

Kim Gram, Vice President of Aero Satcom at Cobham Satcom, said: “Inmarsat has made an immense contribution in the forward progression of our industry, from the development of the original idea of smaller and lighter satcom hardware, continuing its influential work in industry standardization groups, to the ultimate deployment of services on its global satellite network.”

• Paris’ Le Bourget airport is first to be equipped with wireless content delivery network for Gogo Vision

EBACE,Geneva, Switzerland | May 25, 2016– Gogo Inc. (NASDAQ: GOGO), the leading provider of in-flight connectivity and wireless in-flight entertainment solutions to the global aero market, today announced that Gogo Cloud, the company’s wireless content delivery network, is expanding into Europe with service available at select locations.

Gogo Cloud is currently available at the Jetex FBO at Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LFPB), and will be installed at two additional FBOs in the United Kingdom by the end of August 2016: London City Airport Jet Centre (LCY) and TAG Farnborough Airport (FAB) located just outside central London.

All three are key strategic locations in two of Europe’s largest and most important cities for business travellers. Paris-Le Bourget was the busiest business aviation airport in Europe last year with more than 50,000 movements, and TAG Farnborough consistently ranks in the top five busiest business airports in Europe. Additional FBOs will be added in Europe throughout 2017.

“Gogo Cloud is about ease of use and peace of mind because the service is automatic delivering large data files to aircraft ensuring a quality in-flight entertainment experience,” said John Wade, executive vice president and general manager for Gogo Business Aviation. “Our customers in Europe have heard how well the service works in the U.S. and wanted us to bring it across the Atlantic. What we’re announcing today at EBACE is the start of an expansion that will spread to other locations across Europe.”

The first service of its kind in the business aviation market, Gogo Cloud allows customers of Gogo Vision – the company’s in-flight entertainment (IFE) service – to automatically receive the latest updates whenever they visit a Gogo Cloud location. Gogo Vision serves up a licensed library of the hottest Hollywood movies and TV shows. It also includes features such as news, a flight tracker, flight progress information, destination weather, screen sharing, and in-cabin file transfer.

When an aircraft arrives at a Gogo Cloud location, Gogo’s UCS 5000 smart-cabin system automatically connects to the Gogo Cloud Wi-Fi signal and does a complete content update without any intervention from the flight crew. The transfer takes place at ultra-high speed – typically less than 60 seconds to load a 30-minute TV episode, and about three minutes for a feature-length movie. The UCS 5000 system is business aviation’s first all-in-one smart router/media server.

Gogo Cloud Available for Individual Flight Department Facilities
Equipment packages are also available to individual flight departments that want to bring the convenience of Gogo Vision IFE updates to their own facilities. A simple equipment package, which is included with a UCS smart-cabin system purchase, turns a hangar into a Gogo Cloud location providing continuous, fully automatic updates any time their aircraft is at that location.