Getting inflight connectivity gear installed on the assembly line opens up great opportunities for suppliers. It appears that, very quietly, another vendor/aircraft combination recently realized that goal.
IFC
Scratch that ESA from the market, at least for now
With Astronics cutting exposure to the inflight connectivity antenna business some commercial aircraft products are likely looking for new partners. That’s bad news for airlines hoping to see new tech flying soon.
Vistara confirms Panasonic, Nelco partnership for inflight WiFi service
Vistara confirms it will launch inflight wifi on its 787s, becomming the first Indian carrier to offer inflight connectivity on board.
What we learned about Breeze in this week’s DOT filing
Breeze Airways is ready to take flight. Or at least it is very close. The new carrier hopes to launch service later this year. And we now know (a tiny bit) more about what the service will – and will not – be.
Kuwait Airways selects Panasonic Avionics for A330neo IFE
Kuwait Airways expects to bring the Airbus A330-800 into service during Q2 2020. While few details are available about the configuration, Panasonic Avionics confirmed this week that its X series inflight entertainment system will be on board when the planes are delivered.
Vistara maps a new course
India’s Vistara has big plans as it aims to bring the 787 Dreamliner into its fleet later this year. What passengers experience on board, however, will not quite be exactly what the press releases have suggested to date, at least not when it comes to the inflight map.
Ch-ch-changes atop Panasonic Avionics
The past few years have not been easy for top leadership at Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC) . Following a bribery scandal in 2017-2018 the company brought in many new executives, including CEO Hideo Nakano and CTO David Bartlett. Nakano departed that role in November 2019, replaced by Ken Sain. PaxEx.Aero has also learned that Bartlett is no longer with the company.
ThinKom touts low-drag advantages in push for regional jet connectivity
Getting high-speed satellite-based internet service on to regional jets has proven an uphill battle to date. Antenna manufacturer ThinKom hopes its Ka2517 solution can help. The company released details of a study this week confirming its antenna can fly on smaller fuselages without dramatically increasing drag.
SITAONAIR expands digital services scope with GTD Air Services acquisition
After partnering in the development of a digital weather awareness platform for pilots SITAONAIR announced this week that it will acquire GTD Air Services, bringing the operation fully in-house. The deal give a significant boost to the SITAONAIR Digital Day of Operations application portfolio. And tying it to inflight connectivity makes all sorts of things work better.
Swiss completes A340 retrofit with updated IFE/C suite
Passengers on the Swiss International Air Lines A340 fleet are now guaranteed to fly with the company’s newest product. The carrier announced this week that the fifth and final aircraft completed its retrofits and returned to service.