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.
737MAX
737 MAX grounding kills off Norwegian’s smaller TATL operations
Norwegian’s experiment flying single-aisle aircraft across the Atlantic is coming to an end. The carrier will shutter its six remaining routes connecting Ireland with North America effective 15 September 2019.
Tariffs, 737 MAX, satellite crash hit Astronics earnings
How many different ways can one company get beat up in the inflight entertainment and connectivity market? Astronics faces headwinds in its Aerospace market on three fronts. The 737 MAX grounding has costs on both new production and retrofit efforts, while the loss of Intelsat 29E grounded a connectivity program indefinitely. Add in tariffs related to China suppliers that the company is paying and the numbers are going to be rough in that segment for the foreseeable future.
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China Southern reportedly cancels 737 MAX order (But not really)
A comment attributed to a UK-focused manager for China Southern touched off a flurry of potential outcomes regarding the future of the 737 MAX. Did the carrier decide to wipe its order book clean of the type?
Air Canada, Transat finalize merger plans
Air Canada’s plans to acquire Air Transat moved forward this week, with the two companies announcing conclusion of a definitive agreement for their combination.
Korean Air plans interior overhaul, inflight connectivity service
The next generation of Korean Air’s inflight service will see significant changes from the current product. Inflight wifi and a refreshed cabin seating configuration will fly soon as the company seeks to better meet passenger needs.
Viasat’s inflection point
Massive expansion costs are set to give way to recurring revenue growth. That is the message Viasat delivered as it issued is most recent earnings numbers this week. Even as the company pushes forward with the build-out of its new ViaSat-3 constellation with dramatically more bandwidth and geographic coverage, it hopes to convert the existing capacity into new deals and new subscribers, with a significant push into new inflight connectivity markets, among other areas.
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Highlights from the FAA and NTSB’s Congressional testimony on the 737 MAX grounding
Leaders from the FAA and NTSB were called before Congress to testify today about the 737 MAX grounding and what it will take to get the plane back into the sky. The tone and content from the two witnesses was impressively different. Here are some highlights from the 2.5 hours of hearings.
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??
MAX cuts stretching into peak Summer 2019 season
Even as Boeing suggests the testing for its updated 737 MAX software is progressing well its airline customers are scrubbing the type from their schedules. Southwest is the latest to make a move, planning to be without the type for months to come.