Official agreement will provide Chinese airlines with a comprehensive package that integrates Classic Aero and next generation SB-S flight deck connectivity

Beijing, China | April 24, 2018– Inmarsat, the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, has signed a contract with China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Company Limited (CTTIC) to build a local SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) satellite communication operation platform in China. In addition, Inmarsat, CTTIC and Aviation Data Communication Corporation (ADCC) will jointly provide the advanced SB-S aviation safety service to the fast-growing Chinese aviation industry.

Under the partnership, Chinese airlines will now have access to a comprehensive package that integrates Inmarsat’s Classic Aero and next-generation IP-based SB-S services. This will enable them, for the first time, to process all their data in China and fulfil the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC)’s Airline Operations Centre (AOC) voice mandate and flight tracking requirements.

The collaboration will leverage the unique capabilities of CTTIC’s Beijing satellite access station, ADCC’s experience in providing flight datalink services in China and Inmarsat’s proven expertise in providing market-leading satellite communications services to the aviation industry.

Captain Mary McMillan, Vice President of Aviation Safety and Operational Services at Inmarsat, said: “We are proud to be part of this partnership, which represents a major step into the future for the aviation industry in China. Our Classic Aero and SB-S platforms will enable CTTIC and ADCC to provide the most advanced satellite communications services wherever Chinese aircraft are flying, whether over the ocean or land.”

Song Zhen, Vice President of CTTIC, said: “This is a milestone agreement, as CTTIC, ADCC and Inmarsat are strong leaders in their respective markets. This partnership combines our individual strengths to provide China’s aviation industry with market-leading connectivity services for optimised aircraft operations.”

Zhu Yanbo, Vice President of ADCC, said: “We are delighted to continue our relationship with Inmarsat, supporting the growth of safety and efficiency of China’s aviation industry. We are also excited about the future possibilities that these services deliver.”  

Inmarsat’s Classic Aero service is used by more than 90% of the world’s oceanic aircraft for communication, navigation and surveillance. The company’s next-generation SB-S platform, which was recently introduced into commercial service, is the first and only global, secure broadband platform for operations and safety communications. It offers airlines unprecedented visibility into their operations to improve operational efficiency and profitability.

The commercial service introduction follows a successful in-flight evaluation on Hawaiian Airlines’ Boeing 767-300 aircraft and installations on the airline’s entire Airbus A321neo fleet. SB-S is also in flight evaluations with Shenzhen Airlines and United Airlines, and has been selected by Airbus as a Light Cockpit Satcom (LCS) solution on its A320 and A330 families. It has undergone successful evaluation by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Performance-Based Aviation Rulemaking Committee (PARC) as a platform to provide direct data link communication between pilots and air traffic control (ATC). It received the prestigious 2018 Jane’s ATC Award in the Technology category.

Inmarsat is transforming the global aviation industry by bringing connectivity to every aircraft and flight route in the world. Inmarsat is the first and only satellite communications provider, which using its own network, capable of bringing high-speed IP connectivity to the cabin and the cockpit.

• Shenzhen Airlines to equip A320 aircraft as it prepares for China’s future rapid growth in passenger demand

April 27, 2017– Beginning May 2017, Shenzhen Airlines will launch its in-flight evaluation of SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S), Inmarsat’s next generation IP-based broadband service for the flight deck. The SB-S platform, which will be installed on Shenzhen’s Airbus 320 aircraft using Cobham avionics’ AVIATOR 300D hardware, will deliver powerful and flexible in-flight communications and secure, real-time, in-air information to enhance Shenzhen’s safety, security and operational capabilities – both in the air and on the ground.

The Shenzhen partnership is part of a joint venture between Inmarsat, Beijing Marine Communication & Navigation Company, Ltd. (MCN) and Aviation Data Communication Corporation (ADCC) to provide aviation safety services to the rapidly growing Chinese market. Under this partnership, MCN and ADCC will deliver satellite voice, ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing & Reporting System) and data services. MCN will serve as project manager for Shenzhen’s SB-S evaluation process.

In addition to compliance with the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) mandates CCAR 121 and AC-121, Shenzhen Airlines will focus its evaluation on three core SB-S satellite communication (satcom) capabilities, including:

• Satellite Voice (satvoice) Communications – Two-channel satellite-based services that enable faster and high-quality voice communication between the flight deck crew and its designated contacts on the ground, including air traffic controllers and airline operations personnel.
• Integral Global Flight Tracking – This enhanced, live tracking feature pinpoints an aircraft’s location through regular transmission of position reports. SB-S flight tracking enables the airline and Air Traffic Control (ATC) to know where the aircraft is and to understand its status in real time, which is essential for both safety and delivery of fuel-efficient flight.
• ACARS Over IP – Traditionally used to communicate with both the Airline Operations Centre and ATC, this short-text capability over IP is a prerequisite for FANS 1/A compliance in remote oceanic areas.

Shenzhen Airlines also will be able to take advantage of other SB-S platform features, including real-time electronic flight bag applications, such as networked graphical weather and, ultimately, flight data streaming (“Black Box in the Cloud”). And, in addition to providing critical flight safety solutions, its high-speed communications capabilities also allow SB-S to deliver operational savings to airlines in the form of reduced fuel costs, improved efficiency and enhanced security. A recent study by Helios showed that satellite communications has already delivered US$3 billion in benefits to airlines to date (see link below).

Through its SB-S evaluation, Shenzhen Airlines is preparing for China’s explosive growth in passenger demand, which, according the International Air Transport Association (IATA)*, is expected to more than double over the next 20 years. IATA also predicts that China will displace the United States as the world’s largest aviation market around 2024*. Much of this demand will be for international travel and Shenzhen is anticipating this demand by employing next generation satellite connectivity, which allows aircraft to travel in oceanic areas and across remote continental areas where terrestrial networks are not established. These satellite-based capabilities will allow Shenzhen to offer passengers a vastly wider range of service destinations that, until now, could not be realized due to the decades-old limitations of traditional, ground-based communications.

Captain Shao Bin, Vice President of Operations for Shenzhen Airlines said: “As China’s skies become more crowded and advanced flight-tracking capabilities become a necessity in the region’s airspace, Shenzhen wants to be at the forefront of this exciting next chapter of aviation history. We look forward to evaluating SwiftBroadband-Safety as a pioneering, satellite-based connectivity solution that will enable Shenzhen to offer enhanced safety, increased capacity and more efficient operations to our passengers – both in China and beyond.”

Song Zhen, Vice President of MCN, said: “As a leading maritime satellite operator in China, MCN is committed to providing safety communication services to China’s growing aviation industry. It is the first time that a Chinese aircraft will be equipped with the SB-S satcom technology platform, and we look forward to working with Inmarsat and other partners to provide the best service for Shenzhen Airlines in accordance with laws set forth by CAAC.”

Zhu Yanbo, Vice President of ADCC, said: “As the organization jointly established by Air Traffic Management Bureau of CAAC and the major airlines in China, we especially appreciate Shenzhen’s evaluation of SB-S, as they are our country’s first airline to do so. As the air-ground datalink service provider for China’s airspace, ADCC will work closely with MCN and Inmarsat to not only deliver SwiftBroadband-Safety’s trusted cockpit communication and flight tracking services, but also Globalink VHF ACARS and VDL M2 services to our aviation customers.”

Captain Mary McMillan, Vice President of Safety and Operational Services at Inmarsat’s Aviation business unit, said: “As China continues its path toward becoming the world’s largest passenger aviation nation, Shenzhen is making an important move to ensure it is ready to not only expand its domestic service offerings but also meet Chinese passengers’ growing demand for international travel. As the trusted provider of aviation safety and operational services, Inmarsat is excited to work with Shenzhen and our partners to understand how SB-S can optimise their flight deck and aircraft operations as they enter this exciting new era in Chinese aviation.”

Cheng-Yu Tang, General Manager, China Cobham SATCOM, said: “Shenzhen’s decision to evaluate SB-S demonstrates that one of the China’s largest airlines has full confidence in the performance of our AVIATOR 300D system and the Inmarsat SB-S platform. We are excited about this latest opportunity to contribute to the ongoing evaluation of SwiftBroadband-Safety as it also supports our development of communication technologies to meet the future needs of the aviation community.”

United Kingdom | December 5, 2016– Hawaiian Airlines (HAL) has selected Inmarsat’s next generation IP-based SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) platform for installation on its new Airbus A321neo (new engine option) fleet.

Inmarsat’s SB-S service will deliver secure broadband connectivity via the Cobham AVIATOR 350D system to the flight deck for all voice and data applications on HAL’s new single aisle aircraft being line fit by Airbus.

The new agreement expands the current partnership between HAL, Inmarsat, Cobham and Rockwell Collins, established during on-going in-flight evaluations of Inmarsat SB-S and Cobham’s purpose-built AVIATOR solution on-board HAL’s Boeing 767-300 aircraft, as part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supervised technology evaluation.

Paradigm shift
SB-S is Inmarsat’s next generation communications platform offering global, high-speed, secure IP connectivity for the flight deck. It enhances airline safety and operations through more powerful and flexible communications and the availability of real-time, in-air information for pilots, crew and air traffic management.

It represents a paradigm shift in aviation safety services, delivering always on, always secure applications such as flight data streaming (“Black Box in the Cloud”) and real-time Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications, including networked graphical weather.

Rockwell Collins provides the managed service between the Inmarsat ground stations that enable the aircraft to seamlessly communicate with HAL’s host systems, ground crews and regulatory agencies anywhere in the world without interruption.

Airline innovation
Captain Mary McMillan, Inmarsat Aviation Vice President of Safety and Operational Services, said: “Airlines with eyes on the big picture are seeking innovative ways to achieve efficiency gains and dynamically manage their fleets through the use of digital solutions.

“We are pleased that Hawaiian Airlines has experienced the benefits of SwiftBroadband-Safety and has now chosen to expand its commitment to high speed broadband in the flight deck with its A321neo’s. Clearly, the evaluation has been a great success.”

Brian Anderson, Air Transport Sales Manager, Americas, Cobham SATCOM, said: “The selection is a direct result of the team’s recent success with the Hawaiian B767 program for the FAA evaluations of SwiftBroadband-Safety service which is affirming the reliability and performance of the Cobham hardware and the Inmarsat’s satellite network.”

Industry support
Inmarsat’s SB-S has received a high level of industry support, including the recent selection by Airbus of the Inmarsat solution for its A320 and A330 aircraft families and the successful ongoing evaluations with Hawaiian Airlines.

Recently, Inmarsat, Cobham and Hawaiian Airlines announced that SwiftBroadband-Safety and Cobham avionics had enabled in-air Electronic Flight bag connectivity for the first time with Hawaiian Airlines.

Watch Hawaiian Airlines pilots and Flight Operations leadership talk about the benefits of IP broadband in the flight deck in this video

Whitepapers
Inmarsat’s whitepaper ‘SwiftBroadband-Safety: The Future Of Aircraft Communications’ can be downloaded online here.

Inmarsat’s whitepaper ‘Black Box in the Cloud Solutions’ can be downloaded online here.

Partnership with Cobham, Rockwell Collins and L2 Consulting Services
United Kingdom | June 9, 2015– Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, today announced that Hawaiian Airlines is now the first commercial airline to fly with its SwiftBroadband Safety service on its Boeing 767-300 fleet. The first flight took place on June 3 after the Supplemental Type Certificate for the service was awarded.

Highlights
• Enables the fast and efficient transfer of ‘Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System’ (ACARS) data messages using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband connectivity via a secure, dedicated ‘pipe’ to the cockpit
• Rockwell Collins’ ARINC service delivered through Cobham SATCOM AVIATOR terminal, installed by L2 Consulting Services
• An FAA Supplemental Type Certification allows the service to be used on Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767-300 aircraft
• Service expected to be commercially available from Q1 2016

The SwiftBroadband-based service also supports flight deck voice services and provides dedicated IP connectivity to the cockpit, enabling access to new applications, which can increase safe and efficient operations in oceanic airspace, such as Electronic Flight Bags and flight data transmission. It can also transmit four-dimensional position reports, enabling airlines to meet the ICAO mandate for sub-15 minute tracking of all aircraft.

SwiftBroadband Safety will provide an enhanced version of Inmarsat’s Classic Aero service, enabling Air Navigation Service Providers and Air Traffic Management to receive and transmit data and messages, such as ‘Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract’ (ADS-C) and ‘Controller Pilot Datalink Communications’ (CPDLC), faster and more efficiently. More than 10,000 commercial aircraft currently use Inmarsat Classic Aero services for secure communications.

Captain Mary McMillan, Inmarsat Aviation’s Vice President for Safety and Operational Services, commented: “This first commercial flight of a SwiftBroadband Safety equipped aircraft will be a key milestone in the launch of this exciting new safety service. We are very proud that the trials have been conducted in collaboration with a leading airline like Hawaiian, and of our successful partnership with aviation technology pioneers Rockwell Collins, Cobham and L2.

“The service is part of our long-term commitment to continuous innovation and investment to meet the growing demand for quality broadband to the aircraft and the cockpit, and to improve safety and efficiency in oceanic airspace. This is the first time air navigation service providers are able to experience the performance of the terminal, using our leading satellite communications offering.”

Kim Gram, Vice President of Cobham SATCOM’s aeronautical business unit, said: “We are very pleased to announce this significant STC, which allows communication of ACARS data over SwiftBroadband, and means we can continue with the scheduled installation of the Cobham systems on the rest of the HAL fleet and enables us to measure the quality of the communication and present this information to the authorities to attain a formal approval of SBB as a safety service. SBB has previously only been a service for cabin entertainment, which is why this agreement with HAL is important in successfully proving the benefits of SBB satcom with ACARS data capability to the cockpit, such as increased bandwidth capabilities for air traffic control and operational capabilities to the cockpit. Using SwiftBroadband IP connectivity for all domains of the aircraft will provide safer and more efficient flights.”

“Rockwell Collins is proud to be involved in enabling another aviation first for flight safety as well as helping our vision of the connected aircraft become a reality,” said David Poltorak, Vice President, Aviation and Network Services for Rockwell Collins. “Beyond enhancing safety, the growth of broadband connectivity for the flight deck will provide exciting opportunities to bring new flight-enhancing operations and cockpit services to airlines. Many of these services will require significant amounts of data to be delivered to and from the aircraft, which we are well positioned to handle now and in the future.”

“SwiftBroadband Safety will have a significant impact on our flight operations,”said Ken Rewick, Vice President of flight operations for Hawaiian Airlines. “In addition to gaining an upgraded path to FANS (Future Air Navigation System), we’re also in a position to implement Electronic Flight Bag and Airline Operational Communication applications such as timely weather updates, reroutes and fuel planning over a broadband channel. As a long time Rockwell Collins customer, we are pleased to be using the ARINC aviation communications network to enable this important evaluation.”

Mark Lebovitz, president of L2 Consulting Services, said; “We are motivated to support improved aviation safety services, so we developed a Supplemental Type Certification to approve the new high speed Inmarsat datalink and position reporting communication option.”

The service now begins the phase of in-use monitoring allowing Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) to assess performance against the ICAO ‘GOLD’ FANS datalink standard. This assessment is made under the auspices of the FAA PARC group and, as further operators become equipped, in other ICAO regional groups. ESA provided essential support to the work programme in its development phase.

London, United Kingdom | November 26,2014– Inmarsat, (LSE:ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has today announced that SwiftBroadband Safety will play an integral part in the future European air traffic management (ATM) infrastructure. The announcement follows the signing of a contract between Inmarsat and the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Iris Precursor partnership at the House of Commons in London.

The Iris Precursor partnership will upgrade SwiftBroadband to meet the demanding standards set for ground-based VHF data links. This will enable Single European Skies ATM Research (SESAR) flight management concepts, where flight plans can be continually updated during flight to maintain an optimal trajectory to destination. These trajectory management concepts allow air traffic control to offer better routings, sequence aircraft far in advance and maximise airport and airspace capacity. This benefits air operators by reducing flight time and airborne holding. It also supports other concepts such as continuous descent operations. The combined effect is less fuel burn, reduced delays and lower CO2 emissions.

Using SwiftBroadband to enable Iris is an extension of Inmarsat’s more than 20 year experience as the leading provider of safety communications to 98% of airlines. This partnership is the next step in developing SwiftBroadband Safety, which has recently begun flight trials for oceanic operational approvals. It is being developed in coordination with a dedicated project in the frame of the SESAR programme, P15.02.05 (also named “Iris Precursor”) that results in pre-operational flight trials during 2016.

The Iris Precursor partnership results from a major funding commitment approved at ESA’s 2012 Ministerial Council, with the UK as the main contributor; followed by Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Ireland and Portugal. Under the ESA Iris Precursor partnership, SwiftBroadband will be upgraded to provide a satellite overlay to terrestrial VHF networks. While the initial focus will be on Europe, the capabilities developed will open opportunities for deployment in North America, Asia Pacific and other regions, where the growth of air traffic is placing strain on ground-based VHF networks.

Inmarsat was the logical partner for this partnership given its long history of being at the forefront of safety communications. The partnership consists of an Industrial team with 16 companies from eight ESA Member States. These companies have long-standing working relationships and a proven heritage of successfully delivered, high quality, aeronautical safety solutions.

The Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, Greg Clark said: “One in five telecommunication satellites are built in the UK and today’s €15 million contract between ESA and UK satellite operator Inmarsat is further proof that the UK is a global leader in the telecommunications field. From mapping West Africa to combat Ebola to landing a satellite on a comet, British engineers are pushing through scientific boundaries on a daily basis.

“This partnership will see Britain’s technological expertise play a crucial role in revolutionising global air travel through modern communications – making aviation safer, more efficient and lowering costs and emissions.”

Inmarsat supports aviation safety services to nearly 10,000 aircraft, delivering Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract (ADS-C) and Controller Pilot Data link Communications (CPDLC) FANS service on a worldwide basis.

“Inmarsat was the first operator to meet ICAO safety communications requirements and our innovation has not stood still”, said Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat. “Today’s announcement cements our role in providing aviation safety services. We have been committed since the launch of Future Air Navigation Systems in the 1990s to support safety communications for the world’s airlines. Our aim, and the purpose of this partnership, is to continue to provide airlines across the globe with improved safety services, aircraft routing, and environmental and cost efficiency benefits.”

Magali Vaissiere, ESA’s Director of Telecommunications and integrated Applications, said: “Iris Precursor is a project within the framework of ESA’s Iris Programme, born in 2008 to provide a satellite system as part of a wider initiative driven by the European Commission for the modernisation of the air traffic management. It represents a first milestone of a fruitful collaboration in the long-term modernisation of air traffic management: a challenge that we can only do it if we join forces, ready to tackle step by step.”