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.
Panasonic
Vistara takes delivery of first 787-9, plans long-haul expansion
India’s Vistara took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 twin-aisle jet over the weekend, kicking off its expansion into long-haul service. The aircraft is the first of six Dreamliners expected to join the fleet through the end of 2021 as the carrier seeks new intercontinental destinations.
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.
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.
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.
Air Canada launches A220 flights
Air Canada inaugurated service on its new A220-300 today, the latest carrier to bring the type to passengers.
Gilat delivers a successful Ka-band ESA test flight with Honeywell, Telesat
Finally some good news worth celebrating in the ESA space. Gilat’s new kit went flying on Honeywell’s 757 and successfully linked with a Telesat GEO Ka-band satellite.
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.
Panasonic Avionics confirms Eutelsat 10B as second XTS satellite partner
Panasonic Avionics (PAC) plans a significant boost to its Ku-band satellite capacity from 2022. The company confirmed a contract for multiple gigahertz of capacity on both multi-beam payloads of the Eutelsat 10B satellite slated for launch in three years.