Pinch-and-zoom and panning gesture controls familiar to smartphone and tablet users the world over are now availalbe to the flight deck for the first time in a commercial aircraft. Airbus and Thales delivered the first certified and equipped plane to China Eastern, kicking off a new generation of interactive experiences for pilots.
Airbus
Bamboo Airways (maybe) delivers the "value" carrier promise
Bamboo Airways (mostly) operates a fleet of single-aisle Airbus A320 family planes. It is a mishmash of configurations and arrangements. Still, it is a mostly positive experience on board, one that makes flying with Bamboo pleasurable.
An electrified experience: PaxEx Update – 13 Dec 2019
Electric aircraft are really real and the Embraer E2 family is complete. Plus a ton of good news for Airbus and an incremental eventual win for inflight connectivity.
United picks A321XLR for transatlantic 757 replacement
United Airlines will take on the A321XLR to replace its agin 757-200 transatlantic fleet. The move gives the carrier certainty of delivery timing and promises to expand the route profile from Newark and Dulles.
It also removes another potential NMA order from Boeing, further killing off a product that is years late and likely will never be.
TSI Aviation Seats gains access to Airbus BFE catalog
Airlines purchasing the A350, A330/neo and A320/neo family aircraft now have a new option for a seating supplier. TSI Aviation Seats, a joint operation led by Turkish Technic, is now listed in the BFE catalog opening up new sales channels for the operation.
AirAsia takes delivery of its first A321neo
AirAsia’s fleet development took a step forward last week as the carrier’s first A321neo was delivered from Airbus. The carrier has 353 A321neo aircraft on order, with the new deliveries slated for network expansion and replacement of older A320 family aircraft over time.
A WiFi Challenger: PaxEx Update 1 Nov 2019
Can LiFi replace WiFi on board, opening up more spectrum for passengers? And can new satellite launches deliver the capacity that airlines need for inflight connectivity? Plus an expanding award chart and plans for a massive fleet expansion in India.
Final piece of Bombardier’s restructuring puzzle: Aerostructures sold to Spirit AeroSystems
The final phase of Bombardier’s aviation business restructuring is approaching the finish line. The company announced today a definitive agreement to sell its aerostructures business to Spirit AeroSystems. The deal includes facilities in Belfast, Casablanca and Dallas. Spirit will pay $500 million in cash and assume liabilities in excess of $700 million as part of the deal.
Norwegian’s Russian dalliance could open new Asian markets thanks to the SSJ100
It is no secret that Norwegian wants access to fly across northern Russia. The trans-Siberian routes open up opportunities in North Asia, including Japan, China and Korea. And the Russians know this. The country is a notoriously tough negotiator when it comes to gaining access to those routes. Some might even claim extortionate. Oh, and the country has a maligned small airplane that it would like to see selling better, perhaps flying more outside of its home carriers. What are the odds??
IndiGo signs for 300 more A320neo aircraft
India’s largest domestic carrier plans to continue it meteoric growth pace. The carrier announced an order for 300 more A320neo family aircraft. This latest order contains a mix of A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR planes. With the new order the carrier’s total book with Airbus reaches 730 frames.