Thales is set to deliver an “entirely connected” flight management system (FMS) upgrade in the middle of the next decade. PureFlyt is billed as the FMS of the future designed to incorporate data from multiple sources, internal and external to the aircraft, making aircraft operations more efficient.
SwiftBroadBand
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.
AirGo, Royal Air Maroc launch streaming IFE trial
Royal Air Maroc will bring inflight entertainment to its smallest aircraft this month. The company will trial a streaming solution from AirGo.Aero on one of its Embraer E190 planes. This also represents the first installation for AirGo, bringing another streaming IFE vendor into what is already a crowded market.
Counting Challenges: PaxEx Update 11 October 2019
How much is too much for the 737 program in a single week? And is there an end in sight for the shifting of loyalty programs away from loyalty? Plus, inflight wifi and a premium play for mid-haul travel.
Get all the details on this week’s top PaxEx stories inside.
A slow inflight wifi transition for Vietnam Airlines
Yes, Vietnam Airlines (re)activated wifi on some of its A350s last week. No, it is not the high-speed offering many are claiming, even if that might be coming eventually.
Hawaiian Air adds PACE real-time weather to the flight deck
Can Hawaiian Airlines convert an onboard datalink into real cash savings for the operation? That’s the holy grail of promises from satellite network operators and the carrier believes its recent invesment in the Pacelab Flight Profile Optimizer (FPO) solution can deliver.
Inmarsat receives FAA approval for SB-S platform
Inflight safety services communications have a new data network. Inmarsat announced today that the FAA approved its Swiftbroadband-Safety (SB-S) solution for support of air traffic services, delivering a link between air traffic control (ATC) and pilots via Inmarsat’s global L-band satellite constellation.
Sky-high dreams or firmly grounded: The business of connected aircraft maintenance remains in question
“Inflight connectivity doesn’t just create revenue, it could save the airline industry US$15bn a year.”
That’s a bold claim from Inmarsat and the research it commissioned from the London School of Economics (LSE). Much of the savings comes from better weather forecasting and the associated effects: reducing delays and fuel burn. Part of the forecast savings comes from predictive maintenance opportunities, allowing the plane to track its own performance and use on-board connectivity solutions to report back to headquarters when operations are less than nominal. The so-called Internet of Things for Aviation (IoT/A) has long been held up as the financial savior of the connectivity platforms, delivering the necessary financial support to justify installations. What will it take to realize the $3-46bn in annual savings the research revealed? A lot of work, and it is unclear which connectivity vendors are truly committed to that effort.
Inmarsat shares spike on aviation revenue boost
A spike in aviation-related revenue is good news for Inmarsat but not all revenue is created equally. There's more to this story than just the raw numbers.
Inmarsat GX officially live on Qatar Airways
It has been flying for a while, but the high speed Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) service is now officially live on Qatar Airways. Some 130 777 and A350 aircraft will eventually carry the kit. And all passengers still get a free hour of connectivity on board.