Viasat continues to expand the scope of its inflight connectivity offering in China. The company announced this week it secured a Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Validation of Supplemental Type Certificate (VSTC) to install its advanced Ka-band satellite connectivity system on the Boeing 737NG aircraft series.
737 NG
Virgin Australia picks 2Ku for Wi-Fi boost
With aims of profitability by mid-2023, Virgin Australia is ready to bring back inflight Wi-Fi for its fleet. The carrier announced plans to (re)activate the Intelsat 2Ku system on board.
Norwegian brings back the MAX 8, with a twist
Norwegian agreed to lease a pair of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, bringing the type back into service at the carrier. The two planes will join the carrier’s operations “shortly” with a focus on meeting the Summer 2022 goal of serving approximately 270 routes.
Sunrise Stretch: PaxEx Update 2019-10-18
The beginnings of Project Sunrise and extra leg room for the Kiwis. Plus more wifi (maybe) coming in China and another loyalty top tier moves further away.
Get these stories and more in this week’s PaxEx Update.
Lufthansa Technik dives in to the Chinese inflight connectivity market
Announcements related to inflight connectivity in China are hard to process. Vendors continue to sign agreements and push out releases but forward progress in terms of getting hardware on planes remains stalled. This week Lufthansa Technik (LHT) joined the field with an announcement of an offering for airlines in China. But, like the others, it is unclear what the timeline for implementation will be or where things will go from here.
Is simulator time necessary for updated 737 MAX MCAS training?
The global aviation community has already seen one schism with respect to regulatory views on the 737 MAX. Is another brewing as training requirements are set for the type’s return to service??
American grounds 737s due to overhead bin issues
American Airlines grounded fourteen of its 737-800 aircraft today after discovering an issue with recent retrofit work. An “issue with the quality of work conducted on overhead bins” was discovered on two of the planes.
United, Aeromexico extend Viasat inflight connectivity deals
Viasat added a pair of new orders from existing customers United Airlines and Aeromexico today, continuing its growth in the inflight connectivity market.
Norwegian upgrades European wifi with a Freemium play
Short on the heels of announcing its long-haul fleet is getting new and better inflight wifi service Norwegian is also upgrading the legacy installs with a new, faster offering, though higher speed options carry a charge.
Norwegian comes to Canada, eh!
Norwegian Airlines is once again launching its winter service between North America and the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. And this time around Canada is part of the plans. The airline will launch seasonal service from Montréal to the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in late October as it continues to seek seasonal profits in the islands.